Swim Story
by Hesmiyu
Summary: NOTE: This story focuses on a set of original characters. The main cast do appear occasionally. This story follows Ryuunosuke Shibanuma as he joins Yamaku after what was meant to be a rehearsed fight against Jigoro. It did not far well for Shibanuma and now he is at Yamaku. How will his new school treat him? This story's main cast are OC's but FLS' ones are here too.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

Opening my eyes I see a bright blurry ceiling. Even with my blurry vision I can tell it is a different colour from my room, the one in my room being beige compared to this white one. _Where am I and why am I on someone else's bed?_ My eyes slowly adjust to the light levels, and I take a quick look around - only to quickly realise that I am in a hospital room. _What happened?_ I try to think back to what happened. I remember Miyu - one of my friends - shouting something, and it distracted me, and I remember turning my head to look at her, only just noticing how beautiful she is. If I remember right, I think she shouted a confession. I feel my mouth twisting into a smile as I think of it. Did I think that I might be ready for a relationship again? I think I did. I can't remember anything else apart from that…

As my mind goes silent, I am drawn by a beeping sound coming from my right. Turning my head, I notice the sound is coming from a heart-rate monitor which I then notice has wires leading to me. I start to feel some discomfort in my arm, and I notice a tube going into it. I follow the tube and see it is connected to some sort of drip. From my experience watching those subbed western medical shows, it looks like a saline drip. If it is then it would be a bad idea to pull it out, not to mention painful. _Something serious definitely happened to me then, but what?_ I scan the rest of the room, and my eyes fall on a person sleeping in a chair - my father. _I wonder how long he's been there. The way he's sitting looks quite uncomfortable._ I realise my throat is dry, so I look around to see if there is a water source in this room. I soon spot a full glass of water on a bedside cabinet. Reaching for it, I try to grasp it, but my hand only meets the air, confusing me. I feel like something may have gotten stuck to my face while I was asleep. I go to peel it off and notice it isn't something similar to a piece of paper like I was expecting - It feels like a bandage. I trace where it goes and find it is covering my left eye. As I pass across my eye, I accidentally press down and receive a subdued, but shooting pain through my head causing me to breathe in sharply. I remove my hand quickly and the pain gradually subsides.

A cough rings out from my left causing me to look in that direction. I see my father is now awake. I watch as he slowly stands up and stretches. As he bends his back backwards, it clicks and cracks multiple times. He straightens it and comments "God, they need comfier chairs." He then looks over to my direction and sees I'm awake. "Ahh good, you are awake again." I give him a slightly confused look. "You woke up for a few minutes yesterday before going back to sleep. Now, I have already dealt with Hakamichi, but tell me why you and he decided to use sharpened katanas!" A displeased look crosses his face, and my vision is interrupted by a flash of sharpened silver followed by red before returning to normal.

I try to remember why we decided to do that, but I can't. I tell my father this, and he still doesn't look happy. He then looks me over before determining that I'm good, at least that's what I'm assuming he's doing. After doing so, he proceeds to lecture me on how stupid I was for using a sharpened katana; not only because of the dangers, but because of the damage it does to them too. After his lecture, he tells me that because of mine and Jigoro's stupidity, I have lost the sight in my left eye which explains the bandage thing on my eye. My father then looks at his watch and tells me that he is late for an assignment of his. _I wish I knew what these assignments are, he never tells me what they are and always dodges any questions I have about them._ He bids me goodbye and starts walking. As he reaches the door he turns to me once more. "I should return within a few days. I will make sure you have some books to read too next time I'm here," Before I say anything, he walks out the door.

Several days pass by since my father visited me. He has been my only visitor, however I'm not surprised as I am quite far from my hometown, and most of my friends don't have the means to get here. As my father hasn't returned yet, I have been bored and resorted to watching the TV in my room. This program I'm currently watching is some weird game show where the contestants have to eat an everyday object to see if it is a sweet or not. The current contestant has to eat what looks like a shoe and as he bites into it, a relieved expression crosses his face. I assume it was some kind of sweet.

I start wondering about what my doctor told me when he came in after my father had left. He wore glasses and was holding a clipboard in one hand. He told me his name was Ichimonji, and after doing some cursory checks, he explained some more of what happened, including that my left eye was permanently damaged by a sharp object and that the object also sliced the tear ducts leaving me with a condition called Haemolacria and that I would have a scar going across that side of my face and eye. _I wonder what blood randomly trickling down from my eye will feel like, possibly like normal tears I would assume._ I'm assuming the culprit was Jigoro's katana.

Ichimonji went on to explain I was connected to a drip was because while they were trying to repair my eye the best they could, there were apparently some complications, which they thankfully corrected.

A few days after my father had left; the bandage around my head and eye was removed. The fresh-ish air feels nice and relaxing on the newly bare skin.

I hear a knock on my door quickly followed by a gruff voice saying "Calm down already, you are causing a scene out here, and he may well be asleep."

The muffling of the door makes it hard to know what the other person speaking to my father says, but I can tell it is a female voice. The door opens revealing my father, leaning to one side due to a bag he is holding. The bag itself looks like it is straining under an immense weight. _How many books did he bring?_ I shift my eyesight back to his profile, and I see someone behind him with long pinkish-purple hair, constantly shifting side to side trying to find a gap past my father. With how short the person looks, I have a strong suspicion of who she is.

"Good, you are awake again. I hope you are feeling well and are ready for some hyperactive company," my father says, upon seeing me. He barely takes two steps forwards before the person behind him squeezes through the gap he's made and coming running to me. There is one person this could be: my best friend, Hitomi. I am about to greet her, but my vision is blocked by her long hair as she reaches me and hugs me tightly, almost catching the tube going into my arm. She may be small, but she can clearly run across a hospital room in no time at all.

As her hair rests on my face, I find a bit of it go into my mouth. As I try remove the hair, Hitomi squeals "Oh Ryuunosuke! I was so worried when your dad told me you were in a hospital. Why did you have to get injured so far from home? If you were closer I would have been able to visit you daily. I am so glad you are okay. Well, except for your eye, but that's why I'll be your extra eye."

After fully grasping what's happening, especially after Hitomi's barrage of words, I let out a small laugh and reciprocate her hug. "Calm down Hitomi, I am still alive, so you don't need to hug me so tightly."

"Yes I do!"

I hear a deep chuckle from behind Hitomi. "Come now, Honma, give the boy some breathing room."

"I don't want to," she cries out.

"You want to suffocate me?" I ask her jokingly while I pry her off me. She reluctantly lets go. I see she is pouting. She then punches my left arm. Thankfully it isn't the one with the tube going into it. I look at the girl in front of me and see she has decided to wear her usual blue top, which is her favourite colour.

"You are really stupid, you know that right?" I look to my father who has made his way across the room and makes a gesture indicating I'm on my own here. Thanks father. "Your dad told me what you and Hakamichi did during your demonstration. I would have shouted at Hakamichi too, but, well, he's too scary…"

I can't help but let out a laugh at the image of this one and a half meter girl shouting at someone like Jigoro. The laugh earns me another punch and a hurt look from her.

"Ow!" I call out. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself," She glares at me which has no effect. Neither does the annoyed sound she makes. Still glaring, she takes a seat on my bed as I sit myself up straighter.

"Ryuunosuke," my father calls me, and I look to him. "Jirou and Tamiko offer their apologies for not being able to come here. Tamiko is somewhere in Egypt, and Jirou has a fast approaching deadline. Mizuki couldn't get time off work."

"Shame, I wanted to see them," I say.

"Another time perhaps."

I look back at Hitomi and notice she is staring at something. I follow her line of sight and see she is looking at the pipe going into my arm, "What is that?" she asks.

"This? Oh, it's keeping me alive." Her eyes widen at my joke. "I'm joking, it has some use, but I've forgotten what the doctor told me it was for."

Hitomi narrows her eyes "Don't do that to me," she then tries to hit my legs, which are under the covers, but misses.

"Why? It's as if you like me or something," I say with a knowing smile. My comment makes her blush a deep red. The bag my father brought me catches my eye reminding me that he brought it. "Say, Hitomi, could you pass me that bag please? I want to see which books are in it."

My father, who has been sitting a bit away, watching, smiles and makes an approving sound. I assume it is because I can tell what's in the bag without looking in it although it isn't that hard to guess. Sometimes it is a shame that my father doesn't seem to be much of a talker – the complete opposite of Hitomi here.

Hitomi goes to the bag and lifts the straps; she tries to pick it up but ends up nearly losing her balance. I smile but stop when she gives me her death glare. She takes the sensible option and opens the bag where it is. She takes the first few books out, and I notice one of the things isn't thick enough to be one of my books. I try to grab it but it is just out of my reach. Hitomi notices and passes it to me while smiling. I look at it and see it is a brochure for a school called Yamaku. I believe that's the school my uncle and his wife went to. Judging by Hitomi nonchalantly passing and seeing it, she knows something, right?

Sitting in the living room of our house, I stare into the fireplace watching the licks of flames twist and intersect each other. Even though this is the fireplace that scarred my chest fourteen years ago, the flames seem to calm my nerves. My nerves are slightly frayed as this is the last day I'll be in this house. Tomorrow I'll be starting at Yamaku Academy. I look away from the fire to grab the glass of water on the table In front of me, and I catch sight of my father beside me reading one of my uncle's books. I reach for the glass but instead of my hand grabbing it like I intended, my hand ends up knocking it over. I curse audibly.

I hear a slight chuckle form next to me. I look over to see my father is no longer reading his book and is holding out a roll of tissue for me. I take it and start drying up my mess. "The way you act reminds me a lot of how your mother was during school," my father says.

I would ask him more about my mother, but every time I do, he changes the subject. I notice he is rubbing the knuckles on one of his hands where it is quite reddened and says "Who knew Hakamichi's jaw was so strong..."

 _He changed the subject like he always does._ I let out a chuckle and my father's gaze goes from his hand to me "Are you sure you are ready to start at Yamaku tomorrow? As I said after you read the brochure, it will be quite different from your current school."

"Yes, I am sure. It will feel odd, since I'll be living on the campus, but I feel I will be able to adjust to it," I say. _At least I hope so..._

I turn my head back to the fire, and the sound of a book page being turned signals that my father has gone back to his book. As I stare into the chaotic flames, I notice that they start to merge in a way that resembles two humanoid figures fighting one another and a third figure moving away. I blink a few times, and the shapes I saw disappear as if they had never been there.

I suddenly wake up, and after a few seconds I notice I'm drenched in sweat. My room doesn't feel that hot or humid, so that can't be the cause. I try to figure out what other causes it could be, and as I do so I notice the morning sun creeping into my room. Judging by how low the sun is, it is still very early. I suddenly remember what woke me up and what most likely is the cause of me sweating - a nightmare. I haven't had a nightmare for close to two years. My nightmare was the same as the ones I used to get – ones consisting of my ex-girlfriend, Shiori, covered in blood and then being replaced by what looks like a grim reaper figure holding a scythe.

This nightmare actually had an extra part in it. The extra part had the grim reaper saying his usual bit about how I failed Shiori in her moment of need but then followed by him letting out an unearthly laugh before telling me he has come back thanks to my near-death. The image of him laughing is now stuck in my head. I get out of my bed and get dressed before walking to my window before looking out and getting slightly blinded by the rising sun. I shake my head to try get rid of the grim reaper's visage and stare outside. I remember today is the day that I will be moving to Yamaku Academy; the school for the disabled. It will be hard to leave what few friends I have here, namely my best friend Hitomi. I chuckle as I remember her pleading to her mother to let her skip school to come with my father and me to my new school. It is a shame she said no.

I stare out of the window for I don't know how long until I am interrupted when I hear a knock on my door. I know precisely who that knocking sound belongs to - Hitomi.

"I'm asleep," I call out in a monotone voice.

She opens the door and says "Oh a sleepwalker. Let me fix that." Oh no, what is she going to do?

I turn my head to the right slightly so I can see her out the corner of my eye. I see her approaching me a bit faster than walking pace. I put my right hand up in her direction and she walks right into it. I hear a muffled yelp as I feel her face hits my palm. I turn, and she forces my hand down, causing a small amount of pain which I purposefully don't show. I turn my body to face her, and she scowls at me while rubbing her nose. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you would have done something to me," I reply. As I do, Hitomi's expression turns sad.

"Of course I want to, after today I won't be able to do much, unless-"

"Unless you visit me at Yamaku, right?" I say, finishing off her sentence, to her surprise. "You know you can visit me at any time. Although because of how far it is, you'd probably need to ask my father or your mother to allow you to."

"My mum would definitely let me, not sure about your dad though. In any case I will miss you."

"Now you're making it sound like I'm going to my death. I've had enough with death and coming close to it," I say in a playful tone. I'm not going to tell her about the grim reaper returning to my dreams as it will only worry my best friend again.

My reward for my jest is a punch to my stomach, keeling me over. Hitomi may be small, but she can pack a punch when she wants to. "Don't say that!" she says, her voice raised a bit. I touched a very sore nerve.

"S-Sorry," I splutter, rubbing my stomach where she punched me. "We've both lost ones we cared about. Me, Shiori and you, your sister. Pleasedon'thitme."

Hitomi raises her fist again and says "Don't tempt me," complete with an attempt to look angry.

"You know you are too cute and small to look convincingly angry, right?" My rhetorical question causes her to drop both her arms while blushing. "It is good I know how to easily stop you, too. I don't want to end up like Hiroto did after you finished with him."

Hitomi looks down and walks towards me. She leans her head on my chest and says "He deserved it. Seriously though, if anyone tries to bully you again, like at school, tell me and I'll make them pay." I can't help but let out a chuckles and Hitomi buries her head into my chest more.

"Of course, after all you're my third, well second eye now, always looking out for me." I chuckle as I put my hands on top her hand. She immediately swats them off.

Hitomi acts a lot like a protective sister, younger because she is a year younger than me. Her mother came to work at this house as a housemaid just after I obtained several scars on my chest, from the fireplace.

I come back to the present world and notice that Hitomi is now looking up at me with her head cocked. "Do I have something on my face?" I ask her, nonchalantly.

"No, you just looked melancholic."

"Ha." I let slip a laugh. "Today is a big change in my life. I just hope this change is for the better."

"It will be," she says in a serious tone, complete with a serious face.

"Ahh, there you are Hitomi. I'd thought you had gotten lost on your way to wake Ryuunosuke up, instead it turns out you're flirting," a cheerful voice says from the door. I look up and Hitomi spins around, flushed.

"Mum! I-I wasn't flirting!" I chuckle at Hitomi being flustered as she starts walking to her mother.

"Sure, sure. Ryuunosuke, Ryouichi called saying he is running slightly late. Hitomi was meant to tell you but she clearly got distracted." I'm not sure if her mother is chiding or teasing her.

I put my hand on top of Hitomi's head and say "Thank you. If he's running late then what's for breakfast?"

Hitomi's mother warmly smiles. She is a lot like Hitomi herself, except taller and not as hyper. "I've cooked your favourite, Ryuunosuke."

Upon hearing that, Hitomi stops walking as she breathes in sharply and lets her arms hang loose. A second passes before I remember she can't stand spicy foods, especially Mapo Doufu. Having Mapo Doufu as breakfast is quite odd but I like it. My father however, doesn't like that idea, so I can only have it that early when he's away.


	2. Chapter 2: First Lessons

**Chapter 2: First Lessons**

My father and I are standing outside a set of gates which seem to be too pompous for a school, even for a school such as the one that lies ahead. These iron gates look like they were designed to increase the grandeur of this school. I look to my father who is next to me. And I see he is looking back at me.

"Are you ready to enter your new school, Ryuunosuke?" My father asks.

Instead of saying anything, mainly due to nerves, I just nod my head.

My father puts his right hand on my left shoulder and indicates for me to walk. I pick up the two bags I have with me while my father picks up the other two. We then start walking up the path together, passing the gates and soon arrive at a fork in the path.

My father looks at the right path then to the left path. "Right, if I remember correctly, the male dormitories are to the path to our right and that big building to our left at the end of that path," he points to the left path "that is the main building, where you will be taking your lessons. At least that is what I remember Jirou telling me."

Somewhere I can hear the sound of something tapping on the ground. Looking at my father, I can see the sound can't be from him. I keep scanning all around me, which is harder than I thought it would be with only one eye. Soon the tapping sound gets louder. And suddenly something, or someone, with pigtails whizzes past my father and me.

I hear my father mutter something about that being Yamaku's rising star. My father looks at me and says "Before there are any more distractions, let us part ways. I will take your bags to the dorms and find the dorm keeper. You go to the main building to get your class details."

I nod my head and pass the two bags I am holding to my father who manages to fit the handles into his already full hands. My father then departs to the building he says houses the male rooms. I watch him for a minute then depart from my spot via the left path.

After a few meters I start to find it hard to breathe. I spy a bench ahead and successfully make my way to it. I half collapse onto it and wait to regain my breath.

While my body is recovering, I try to think what may have caused it this time. I have only walked a small amount. Am I really that unfit after the hospital? I put my hand over my chest, and my heart rate feels normal. I then notice my breathing has slowed down. Once it has, I stand up from the bench and continue on my way to the building, thankfully with no further issues.

I arrive at the entrance to the main building and enter. The first thing I do is look around for the person who is supposed to wait for me but doesn't appear to be here. I lean against one of the walls and wait for this person to arrive. I assume they are just running late.

Soon I hear the door at the end of the lobby area open, and a tall figure with a bad posture appears. The tall man asks me "So you are the new student here… Shaba… Shibi… Shabnum?"

'Huh, where did he get Shabnum from?' I think to myself. "It's Shibanuma."

The tall man smiles at me and says "So you are. My name is Mutou. I am the homeroom teacher for class 3-3. You will be in class 3-2 with Miyagi."

'Miyagi, why do I recognise that name?' Just as I think Miyagi's name, the door to the outside opens revealing a female with long dark hair. She appears to be quite young and shorter than I am.

Mutou looks up at the sound of the door and continues "Ahh, great timing Miyagi."

Miyagi reaches us and smiles before saying to Mutou "I guess you called me then. Sorry I'm late, Fujisaki kept delaying me."

The two home room teachers continue talking for a few more minutes seemingly forgetting that I am here. While they're talking I feel something trickling down onto my left cheek. I put my finger on the odd sensation and look at what is on my finger. I find it to be blood. I reach into my pocket and pull out a tissue I have in there and wipe away the blood.

The two teachers eventually finish their conversation, and I hear Mutou tell Miyagi that he will take his leave now so he won't be late for class for once. So, at this school Mutou is the teacher who is usually late then?

Mutou heads to the nearby stairs and disappears from view as Miyagi turns to face me with a smile on her face. "Sorry about that Shibanuma," she looks at her watch, "we have plenty of time before lessons start for the day, something Mutou loses track of. I should take you to visit the nurse."

Did she see my eye bleed? Slightly puzzled but curious, I ask Miyagi "Is that customary for all new students to visit her? Or because my eye bled?"

Something about what I said makes Miyagi chuckle "First, Nurse is a male." Well, oops. "Secondly, going by your reaction to your eye bleeding it seems like something that isn't rare, and thirdly, all new students go see the nurse at some point during their first day to get assessed properly and to provide the correct help if any is required. We could wait until the lessons are over if you prefer."

I let out a slightly audible sigh. I seem to have developed some sort of contempt towards medical staff since they told me I wouldn't be able to see out of my left eye for the rest of my life. I look straight at Miyagi before saying "We might as well get it over with now, rather than later."

Miyagi gives me a certain look but doesn't press the issue with my statement. The look quickly changes into a smile as she manoeuvres me out of the building and towards a different one.

As we are walking outside, I notice the silence in the air; until Miyagi's voice interrupts it "The building we are going to is the auxiliary building. It is a separate building from the rest of the school and houses stuff like the administrative offices, some club rooms, a pool and the nurses' offices."

The mention of a pool intrigues me, even though I haven't gone swimming in quite a few years. We reach the double door entrance to the building, and Miyagi opens the door and signals for me to go in first. I walk inside and she follows closing the door behind her.

Once I'm inside, I see doors on both sides of the corridor. Miyagi walks past me and again beckons for me to follow her. We walk down the corridor and quickly appear at a door marked 'Head Nurse' and below it is a long name. Miyagi walks up to it and knocks on the door. I wonder how long this will take.

A few seconds pass, and I hear the sound of the door being opened. When the door opens enough, I can get a good look at the person inside. The first thing I see is the white lab coat he is wearing followed by his purple hair. He looks kind of rugged - that is until he smiles causing the dimples to wash that away. Is this one of the nurse's assistants?

This person looks at Miyagi and then me, and his smile seems to broaden. "Hello there, you must be Shibanuma." _Wow, he got my name right first time._ "I am the head nurse." _He's younger than I thought he'd be._ "You can call me by my name or just 'Nurse' like everyone else does. Come on in." The nurse beckons me into the room.

After I enter the room, I look back at Miyagi who hasn't moved. "I'll wait out here Shibanuma, so you won't be late to class on your first day." I nod my head and she smiles.

While the nurse says something to Miyagi, I observe my surroundings. One thing I immediately notice is the strange, but familiar smell in this room. Taking a look around the room I notice the nurse's desk is neat and tidy, OCD? Looking at the bin, I would say no. The bin is almost overflowing with empty coffee cups. _So he's as bad with caffeine as me then._

Once the nurse has closed the door, he signals for me to take a seat, which I do. He then sits on what I assume is his normal chair. It looks well used. As I watch the nurse take his seat, I notice an open file on the desk.

The nurse notices that I saw the file and just smiles before saying "Don't worry, it's your file. I had your doctor send me a copy of his notes about your stay in hospital." The nurse then picks up the file and quickly looks at it, "Acquired monocular vision… Haemolacria, left eye… scars on left side of face and abdomen. Quite a few things here, less than some of students who see me."

At least I'm not the worst person here.

"Well Ryuunosuke, it is all right to use your first name isn't it?"

 _Well, you kind of already did._ The nurse saying my first name suddenly surprises me, but I manage to formulate a simple response "It is okay."

The nurse starts to talk about some stuff for several minutes. Nurse suddenly asks me "Do you mind if I take a close look at the scar across your eye?"

I hesitate for a moment and feel myself form a slight grimace before nodding. The nurse leans in and takes a close look at the scar. I don't mind if people see that scar as I treat it as a battle scar, but when people try to get a close look, it makes me feel uneasy as it had happened in a moment of weakness.

Soon the nurse pulls away from my face making me feel relieved. "I would now like to test your depth perception if that is okay."

"Okay, wait you aren't going to throw anything at me are you?"

My question causes the nurse to chuckle. "No nothing like that," he strokes his chin as if thinking, "However…" Him saying that causes my eye to widen which makes him chuckle again. "I could throw some stuff and see if you can catch it."

Wait, seriously? If he actually does that, I hope it is stuff that wouldn't break or is light. I watch as he grabs something on his desk. He reveals the object he picked up to be… a pen. Oh, something that simple. Why did I think it would be something else?

"Don't worry; I'm not actually going to throw this at you." Phew.

For the next 15 or so minutes, the nurse tests my depth perception with his pen, some of the tests include placing it at different distances on his desk and for me to grab it, and other tests involve throwing pen in the air and me trying to catch it. Most of the time, I catch or at least touch the pen.

The nurse looks at my file on his desk and then turns back to face me before asking "How much do you know about your Haemolacria?"

Oh yes, he mentioned that when reading the file. "Only that it occurs in one of my eyes, my left eye and that it started after I got this scar." I gesture to the scar crossing my left eye.

Somewhere outside the room, we hear the sound of clock chimes. Do all schools have the same chimes then?

The nurse lets out a quick chuckle before saying "It appears this quick examination wasn't as quick as normal. Perhaps it would now be a good idea to go outside to Miyagi and go to class. That is if she hasn't wandered off somewhere. Now, before you actually leave, there is one thing I just thought of. You may know this but due to your lack of depth perception, you aren't allowed to do any contact sports." A serious expression appears on his face "That includes sparring with your katana." The nurse opens one of his drawers and pulls out a newspaper article depicting my incident.

Dang, I already knew that, but still kind of hurts when I get reminded of that. I let out a sigh but then ask "I can't train with others, but can I train if I'm alone?"

The nurse thinks for a moment as he puts the article away before coming to what looks like a conclusion. "If you're training on your own then yes you can. But unfortunately you won't be allowed on school grounds."

Seeing as I'm going to be living here for the next year, that will be a very long time without training. I hope opportunities will come for me to leave and be able to train by myself.

Miyagi and I are outside the auxiliary building walking to the main one. While we walk Miyagi tells me "By the way, Shibanuma, aside from being your home room teacher, I will also be your English teacher."

This causes me to involuntarily chuckle before I catch myself

"What made you laugh?"

"Nothing, it's just that I'm very bad at English. Also, won't your other students be wondering why the teacher hasn't arrived?"

"It is true that I don't make it a practice to be late for classes and home room, I always wanted to see what happens if I don't arrive on time. Class 3-3, Mutou's class, are used to his lateness." Miyagi looks at me as a grin spreads on her face. "Don't tell your classmates?"

I shake my head. We arrive outside a classroom door which Miyagi opens. While she is opening the door, I look at the sign on the wall next to the door which reads 'Class 3-2' underneath it I see raised dots. I assume these are Braille. Since I am half blind, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for fully blind people to be here, right?

Suddenly a wave of coldness sweeps over me causing me to shiver and feel as though I am rooted to the spot. My mind has finally caught on that I am at a completely different school, with a different atmosphere, in a completely foreign area, and I know no one.

Somewhere beyond the door, I can hear Miyagi's voice calling my name. I slowly enter the room and see an almost full classroom of people my age.

 _Why wouldn't they be my age?_

Question aside, when I enter I notice that only a few faces look towards me. Do they not care about the new student? I continue looking around the room and immediately see the teacher's - Miyagi's - desk. I walk towards it and see a dog lying on the ground next to one of the desks.

"Do you want to introduce yourself to the class?" Miyagi asks me.

That would probably be a good idea I suppose. I take a breath and start to introduce myself. "Hello, my name is Shibanuma Ryuunosuke. I have a big scar on the left side of my face from an accident which lead me to be blind in my left eye."

In response to my self-introduction, I get several replies greeting me. I look to Miyagi and ask "Should I write my name on the board?"

Miyagi looks at me for a moment before replying "You can, but about half the class won't be able to see it."

I turn to the board and look for something to write with which I quickly find. I then write my name on the board while the only sound in the room is the sound of me writing, making me feel more self-conscious.

One I've written my name, I turn back to face Miyagi who then says "Well then, If you go take a seat next to Satou, she will be able to answer nearly any question you may have."

I scan the entire classroom looking for anything which will tell me who this 'Satou' is, but I find nothing helpful. I look back at Miyagi who seems to have noticed.

"Sorry, Satou is the blonde-haired girl over there."

My eye follows her gesture to reveal that she is pointing at a blonde-haired girl. So that's Satou. She is quite beautiful.

As I make my way to the desk, I hear Miyagi say "Satou, Furude, I'm giving you both permission to talk during the class to answer any of Shibanuma's questions." I see Satou and a guy wearing sunglasses two desks to her left nod their heads.

I sit at this desk which is supposed to be mine for the next year and turn to face Satou. "Satou right? I'm Shibanuma. It is nice to meet you."

She turns to face me, for some reason she is looking just over my shoulder. I look at her face, and I realise two things: she is really pretty up close, and she has cloudy blue eyes. Blind? She seems to take some time before she responds to my introduction

"Hello Shibanuma, it is nice to meet you. As Miyagi said, I am the representative for this class, Satou Lilly, but please, call me Lilly."

She prefers to be called by her first name after only just meeting? "Okay Lilly, call me Ryuunosuke." I smile then remember Lilly wouldn't be able to see.

From my left, I suddenly hear a male voice pipe up "Ryuunosuke… Dragon herald."

"Huh?" That was random and new.

"It is what your name means in English."

I look to my left to get a look at the person who, for some reason, is wearing sunglasses. "Furude Masahiro is my name."

"Hello Masahiro, may I ask why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?" I ask. I could ask if he has a hangover, but I decide to be more ambiguous. My question causes Furude to smile while he looks straight at me. Well, I think he is. I can't really tell with those sunglasses.

"I do not. I do not even drink unlike another person in this class," that sounds like a jibe at someone within earshot, "These sunglasses are to stop the possibility of me going completely blind which could happen if I take them off. I have Achromatopsia. Because of that, I am also completely colour-blind. That's enough about me, what has brought you to Yamaku?"

So that explains the sunglasses then. Achromatopsia, I wonder how bad it truly is. I let out a sigh before I answer Furude. "I was brought here by a katana to the face."

Suddenly I see darkness which is cut apart by a flash of silver cutting down which cause me to let out an audible gasp. As quickly as the darkness appeared, it quickly disappears.

My gasp is apparently loud enough for Lilly to hear as she is looking my direction. "Are you all right, Ryuunosuke?"

I can hear concern in her voice. "Yes, I'm good Lilly, just had a partial flashback."

Partway through the first lesson, Miyagi splits the class into smaller groups. She puts me with Lilly and Furude - I guess she saw how much the three of us were talking earlier. I hope this project is easy seeing as it is completely new to me.

"Say, Lilly, how many home rooms are there? I ask, curiously.

"There are five homeroom groups in our year. 3-1 is mainly for students with hearing conditions, 3-2, which is this class, is for those with sight problems." That explains quite a few things, my half vision, Furude's condition and Lilly's blindness. "3-3, 3-4 and 3-5 all consist of various conditions."

"The brochure I read before I came here said there are four homerooms if I remember right, though?" I say in response.

"Normally that is correct, but two years ago there was an influx of students, so the administration decided to add another homeroom. I don't know the particulars however."

The bell signalling the end of lesson and start of lunch rings out, and Lilly and Furude start packing their stuff away. Furude seems to have a certain system, a quick and efficient one seeing as he is already packed away and exiting the classroom. Lilly's motions are more controlled and slower. Not really a surprise when you are blind.

I start packing my stuff away too. I look back over to Lilly, and I feel as though something is on her mind. "Is something bothering you Lilly?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter," she replies. About a minute passes, and Lilly speaks up. "Ryuunosuke, you didn't happen to be involved in an incident that happened not far from here a few months ago?"

"Huh? Oh, of course news about that sort of incident would reach a close school like this, and yes, that was me." I wonder how many other people at this school know about that.

Lilly breaks me out of my thoughts with an apology. "I'm sorry for what my uncle did."

"Why are you sorry? It wasn't anything you- wait, Jigoro's your uncle?"

Lilly nods. "Yes he is."

"For as long as my father and I have known him, he rarely talked about... I remember him saying something about a blind niece."

As I say this I notice a change in Lilly's demeanour causing me to quickly say "I'msorryLilly."

Lilly waits for a moment before responding. "There is no need to apologise Ryuunosuke."

She doesn't seem to hate me for my mishap - I'm glad. I start to make my way to the door to leave the classroom, and Lilly calls out behind me. "See you after lunch Ryuunosuke."

Outside the classroom of 3-2 I notice there aren't many students in the corridor. Did my little conversation with Lilly really take that long? Deciding to head to wherever the cafeteria is, I start walking down one of the directions of the corridor and see one of the classroom doors ahead open.

I slow my pace and see a girl with long brown hair in a wheelchair exiting the room in front of me. She is followed out by a girl with orange braided hair pushing the first girl's wheelchair. I smile as I walk past and I get two smiles in return. As the wheelchair bound girl smiles, I see her purple eyes which seem to captivate me. I remember reading something about that type of eyes a while ago but I cannot remember what it said.

I continue walking along the corridor and turn to go round the corner only to find I've hit a dead end. How did I not see getting lost on my first day as a possibility? Never mind, I'll go on a mini expedition to find this cafeteria and hope there is some food left.


	3. Chapter 3: A Helping Hand

**Chapter 3: A Helping Hand**

I walk along the corridors of this building, and I still can't find the cafeteria. 

_'Seriously, how difficult is it to find a big room with food in it?'_

Upon thinking that, I notice the gratifying smell of food. Up ahead, I see a set of double doors which I walk towards, and as I near them, they automatically open. 

The cafeteria surprisingly is nowhere near as full as I was expecting. Looking around the room I see a menu close by and take a look at it. To my surprise I see various choices on it - more than what my previous school had in a week. I start to wonder why it is so varied when it suddenly dawns on me that being at a school for disabled there are most likely people who can't eat certain foods. 

I look at the menu and see a food that pops out to me - the Mapo Doufu. After deciding on having that, I walk up to the serving counter and ask for it. Soon, the bowl of the food arrives, and to my pleasant surprise it is a decent size. I thank the server before I walk away. 

Looking around the room and spy a drinks vending machine in the corner. I walk over to it and see there's a vast amount of drinks available. I end up buying a random one. 

Picking up my drink and placing it in my pocket, I proceed to walk between the tables and sit at an empty table. As I chew I feel my mouth get hot - not hot enough to burn but noticeable. 

I look up and around, and I see people with various disabilities, some surprising, some not. As I swallow I notice a person looking at me out of the corner of my eye. I look towards the person and see a tanned girl who smiles at me. I smile back and then go back to eating my food. 

I soon finish my food and open the can I bought. I bring the cool metal to my lips and let the cool liquid enter my mouth cooling the parts it touches. I can't remember the last time I had had a canned drink. As I put the can down I see movement from the corner of my eye. I look to my right and see the tanned girl get up. 

Without asking she sits down at my table. I stare at her waiting for her to initiate conversation. She just stares back, so I decide to break the ice. 

"Uh, hello? Who are you, and why did you change tables to mine?" I ask her, hoping I don't sound like I am being unfriendly. 

"My name is Miki. You looked down and lonely, so I decided to talk to you." The girl called Miki answers. 

"Is that the only reason?" I ask. Something tells me she's missing a reason or two. 

Looking sheepish now, she responds "Well, my friend, Suzu, is busy in the library, and I don't know when she'll be free." 

My eye lights up when Miki mentions the library, and apparently Miki saw that as she gives off a slightly confused look. 

"Sorry, I was planning on searching for the library later, but I had forgotten. Since your friend is there, maybe you could show me how to get there, and you can meet your friend?" I suggest. 

Miki appears to think for a moment before replying "Okay, but only if you tell me your name." 

_'Oh yeah, I haven't told her my name yet, I had better rectify that.'_

"My name is Shibanuma." 

"So, you're the one people called 'The Scarred One' a while ago," Miki says. 

_'The Scarred One. I've never liked the nickname that pre-dates my eye.'_

I sit back in my chair and fold my arms before saying, "Please don't call me that. I have always hated that name. Miki is just staring at me. I wait to see what her next line will be. 

Several seconds later, she comes out with "If it has to do with that scar across your eye, then I think it suits you. It makes you look like you've been in some sort of battle." 

I stare at Miki to see if she shows any signs of her trying to humour me and see none. I lean forward back to my original position and unfold my arms. 

_'Nice diffusion Miki.'_

Thinking about it, there's one thing I realise about what Miki said, and I tell her. "That is the first compliment I've had about my scar that didn't feel forced or fake." 

Looking around at the walls I see no clock so I decide to ask Miki "Say, Miki, you don't happen to know how much is left of the lunch break, do you?" 

"Hang on, let me look." Miki replies. She then puts her left arm on the table and reaches into her pocket with her right hand. As she searches in her pocket, I see some bandages wrapped around her left wrist.

I look directly at her arm, and another thought pops into my head at a surprising sight.

I then find a whole bunch of hand-related jokes pop into my mind. So, is this what those people were thinking when they made those eye jokes that I wasn't fond of? I quickly push those jokes out of my mind as I don't want to cause any problems between me and Miki. 

"Plenty of time to get to the library," I hear Miki say, drawing me out of my thoughts. "I was wondering how long it would be before you noticed this, Ryuunosuke." She waves her left arm slightly as if trying to emphasize it. 

Surprised, I ask her "How do you know my first name?" 

"Near the end of my second year here, there were rumours going around the school of a guy our age that was injured at a nearby demonstration. The rumour carried on with saying that person may join Yamaku. Your name was mentioned, and I realised you were the one the rumour was about when you said your last name." 

_Even at Yamaku, rumours get spread and misinterpreted and exaggerated. And of course, a nearby school would have heard of such a thing happening, especially a school like this._

"If you're ready to go to the library, I can take you there now." Miki proposes. 

I grab my can and shake it to see if there's any drink left, there isn't. I start to reach for my bowl when it is suddenly moved, and the can is taken out of my hand. I look at the culprit and see Miki has gotten up from her seat and grabbed them. She tells me to wait at the entrance. 

I reach the double doors and wait for Miki. I soon see her walking towards me and ask her, "Where exactly is the library?" 

Walking through the doors without turning to face me Miki replies. "Don't worry, it is close by." 

We walk down a few more corridors, and I start to wonder what Miki defines as 'close by' and if the inside of this building is bigger than the outside makes it look. 

"When did you join the school, Ryuunosuke?" Miki suddenly asks, as we continue to walk down yet more corridors. 

"Today is my first day; I haven't even seen my dorm room yet." I reply as I let out a slight chuckle. 

"Well then, welcome to Yamaku." 

Miki and I arrive at a set of double doors, and stops in front of the door before turning to me and saying, "Welcome to the Yamaku library." 

She turns back to the door and pushes it open. 

"Acting a bit grandiose, aren't you Miki?" I say to her. 

She just looks at me and smiles before walking into the library leaving me with no choice but to follow her. As I walk in, I am hit with the lovely smell of books - and also another smell I can't quite describe. 

"Will you be alright while I go check on my friend?" Miki asks me. 

"Yeah, I should be, unless I get attacked by all these books," I reply, smiling. 

Miki then quickly disappears down one of the aisles while I look at the various bookshelves. It has been a while since I have actually read a book - before I lost my eye if I remember correctly. Recovering from the surgery made it hard to focus on the text, even with the pain killers. I walk to the nearest shelf and start to look at the book titles. They all seem to have mushy titles. I look up to see what the aisle is labelled. 

_'Romance, well that explains all these mushy book titles then.'_

I hear a voice belonging to Miki start speaking behind me, "Do you know how to get to the classrooms from here?" 

I turn around to face Miki and think. "Uh, no I don't. You leading me to this library is the nearest to a tour that I've had." 

My response causes Miki's face to give off a surprised look. A few seconds later, she asks "Done everything you wanted to do in the library?" 

"There actually wasn't anything here that I was going to do; I just wanted to know how to get here in the future." I explain to Miki. 

"Okay. So, you're ready to head to the classrooms?" Miki asks, to which I nod. "Follow me then." 

With that, Miki starts walking towards the library doors. I follow and look behind me to take in the books on the shelves that my eye hasn't touched upon. I see a girl, who doesn't look much older than myself, walk across the library carrying a stack of books. A member of staff maybe? I turn my head as I am still walking but find my vision obscured by a waft of purple before I feel something hitting my chest - specifically my solar plexus - winding me. I hear the sound of multiple books hitting the floor in front of me along with a small feminine squeal. I look to see who bumped into me and see a purple-haired girl surrounded by a small pile of books. It takes a moment before I realise this girl is trying to apologise while stuttering almost every word. 

_'Is she scared of me? She's stuttering and seems to be nervous.'_

I look directly at the girl and say "Don't worry, it wasn't your fault. I should have looked where I was going" I finish off with giving her a smile. 

The girl looks up, and her eyes widen as she lets out a barely audible gasp and shies away. As she shies away, I notice there seems to be scarred skin on the right side of her face, a lot worse than any of my scars. I look at the floor and decide to pick up the girl's books for her. As I do so, I ask her "May I know your name?" 

"H- H- Hanako." She answers, with a voice so quiet I barely hear her reply. I also hear and see her slowly standing up. 

_'Hanako. Cute name.'_

I finish picking up the book and as I stand up to pass them to her "Sorry Hanako. My name is Ryuunosuke." 

As I offer her my name, I notice a small flicker of a smile appear on her lips. She then reaches out and takes the books. 

_'Scars on her hand too? What exactly happened to her?_

I must have been staring because Hanako then suddenly rushes to the nearby desk and places the books I passed her on it before she rushes out of the library. 

Miki then walks towards me from the door and says "I don't think I'll ever understand why she is so skittish." 

I think for a moment before replying. "I think it might be due to those scars she has. I got negative reception when I returned to my old school with this one scar." I indicate my blind eye for emphasis. 

"Probably, I just wish she'd open up more," Miki replies. 

We walk out of the library and down the corridor. As we walk I notice Miki looking towards me. I turn to her and ask "Is something wrong Miki?" 

"I was just wondering why you asked me to guide you to the library when you didn't need anything from it." She replies. 

We soon appear in a corridor I recognise, the corridor containing the classrooms. Miki bids me farewell as she enters her classroom. I walk a bit further down the corridor and walk into the classroom of the vision impaired. 

The afternoon classes have finished, and I walk to the boys' dormitory. As I enter the doors of the building, I remember I don't know my room number. 

_"Well done me for not knowing which room is mine…"_

I pull out my phone to look through the messages from my father to see which room he took my bags too and see l already have two messages from him. I read the first message and see it says that he found the room alright, and the room number is 121. It also says that he left the room keys on the desk inside the room. I close the first message and open the second one which says that he has to leave earlier than anticipated as his work has called him. That would be fine, except I still don't know what he does, everyone seems not to know or play dumb about it. 

I put my phone back into my pocket and begin my search for the room I will live in for the rest of the school year. I imagined myself looking through corridors for around one hour or so, but I find the room a lot quicker than I was thinking. I stand in front of the door, and as my father's message said, it is unlocked. The door slowly opens, and some words escape my mouth. "Wow this is pretty bland." 

I walk into the room to get a better view, but it doesn't improve my opinion of it. Aside from the bags on the bed, the room looks sterile - too sterile for my tastes. I turn my head to take in everything and see a bed, a fake oak desk with the keys atop it, a chair, a wardrobe, two shelves above the bed and a bedside stand. 

I walk to the bags on the bed and see my father hasn't even started to unpack before he was called away. On the plus side, I get to choose where each thing in the bag goes. I open one of the bags and find my watch; I hadn't even noticed I wasn't wearing it. I promptly put the watch on before starting the unpacking. 

Nearing the end of unpacking one of the bags, I spy a photo in the bag. It is a memorial photo of Shiori. I carefully take it out of my bag and put it atop my bedside cabinet. I find myself staring at the photo as it is probably one of the most beautiful photos of her I have been given. 

_"I'm sorry. I was too late and dumb to realise."_

I tear my eyes away from the photo and look out the window. 

_"It's dark already? How long have I been unpacking?"_

I look at my watch and see it is around 7:30. Unpacking my stuff took a lot longer than I thought it would. A sudden wave of tiredness washes over me, causing me to remember that I have been awake for too long today - close to twenty hours. I decide it is time for me to go to sleep. I remove the bags that are on my bed and then lie down on it. Soon after, I feel as though the room starts to get darker, even though the light is still on. 

_I am walking down a familiar school corridor that looks a lot like the corridor from my old school. I see various people them facing me as I walk past._

 _'Why do none of these people have a face? This means I'm in another nightmare, right?_

 _I would think so, except the Grim and Shiori are nowhere to be seen. I continue to walk down the corridor and see every faceless student looking towards me, which is starting to get on my nerves._

 _Seeing more of the faceless people looking towards me causes me to explode, saying "Yes, I am still Alive! And thank you all for visiting me while in the hospital!"_

 _"You always know how to make others welcome, don't you" A voice says from behind me._

 _I turn around and stand face to face with an old friend of mine; Hiroto._

 _Before I get a chance to greet him, Hiroto crosses his arms and says "So you have finally come to see Miyu. Such a shame she doesn't want to see you." He leans to his left, as if looking past me. "Isn't that right Miyu?"_

 _I turn my head and see Miyu standing behind me with an apologetic look on her face. I turn the rest of my body to face her. I start to open my mouth to speak to her, but I hear Hiroto start to issue some sort of threat. He gets halfway through it before his voice just stops. I start to turn my head to see why he stopped, but then I hear a familiar female voice call out my name causing me to freeze. The female walks into my field of vision, and I see her long orange hair. Everything around the two of us seems to disappear. She turns to face me and stares straight at me with her normally grey eyes. Her right eye has a jagged scar placed vertically across it and that eye is milky white. It makes me think of what my scar would look like._

 _The female, Shiori, smiles at me before saying "Welcome to my world, Ryuunosuke. In this world, I wasn't able to recognise anyone, not until my beloved - you - came along. I'm glad you did." She gives me an even bigger smile before giving me a tight hug._

 _Normally, the feeling of her hugging me would be nice, but this time it sends a cold chill down my spine and prevents me from moving._

 _"I'm glad you were finally able to say something that was on your mind too. I am so sorry for what I need to do next." Her smile fades, and she looks upset instead._

 _She looks up at me before she stands on her tiptoes, kisses me on the lips and puts her hand on my right shoulder. As her hand touches me, I feel a shot of pain followed by a blinding white light from Shiori._

I wake up and notice that it is pitch back and that I am in cold sweats. I feel that my bed seems a little harder than when I went to sleep. I look around as my eyes quickly adjust to the darkness and discover I'm on the floor. Moving my arms to pick myself up, I feel a shot of pain in my right shoulder, just like that dream I had. I assume the pain came from hitting the floor when I fell out. I manage to pick myself up, ignoring the pain, sit on my bed and let the shoulder pain subside while I think about the dream. 

After a while I notice I don't feel tired, so it would be pointless trying to go back to sleep, but I can't stay in this room for several more hours. I stand up from my bed and walk to the window to look out. I see some light scarcely lighting up the dark grounds. This gets me thinking about what walking around the campus would be like at night. I decide to go on a night-time stroll partially to waste some of the few hours I have left before the classes are starting. 

I pick out some clothes to wear, put them on and then walk out the door, locking it behind me. As I walk along the corridor, it feels eerily quiet. I get to the stairs and proceed to walk down and then to the doors to the outside. As I open those doors, I am hit with the cool fresh air. 

As I walk around, I start to hear quickened footsteps not belonging to me. My first thought is that as this is a boarding high school, there would be security guards placed around. I am surprised I forgot that the brochure happened to mention that until now. I spy a pillar that is big enough for me to hide behind and head towards it. 

Once behind it, I cautiously look around, and instead of seeing any kind of security guard I spot the silhouette of a person running. The silhouette passes each light before disappearing from view. I can hear the footsteps get quieter but not totally vanish. I start to step out from my position, but I see another shape, one I don't recognise either. This one runs in the same direction as the other one and judging by the sounds, this one is lighter on their feet. 

_'This late and Yamaku is still active? What do these people take?'_

I shake the thought from my head as I look to see if there are any more night owls. After checking, I decide it will be safer to retire back to my room as my luck will soon run out otherwise. As I pass a light, I see what looks like Shiori with angel wings with red and black tips. I turn my head so I am looking directly at where the image appeared, but there is nothing there. Part of me hopes that was just my eye playing tricks on me. 

I get back to my room and undress before getting into my bed. Hopefully that late-night excursion will help me sleep. I lie in the bed, but my efforts to fall asleep prove futile as I still don't feel even the slightest bit tired. I lie here for what feels like an hour or two before I completely give up on sleeping this night. 

I get up and look out my window; I notice it has gotten lighter. I redress myself and decide to risk another walk outside. With daylight on the horizon, I stop to look at the sky, at the red sunrise forming. 

After a few minutes I decide to go to the nurse's office to try find a way to fix my sleep problems. I start to walk towards the auxiliary building and as I approach it, a person with a slightly odd walk comes out. 

"Ahh, so you're the new guy that my class has been talking about. My name is Akahito," the person says, bowing after saying his name, before continuing "Welcome to Yamaku, I'd like to stay and chat but one of my friends needs my help." 

Akahito then walks off. 

_'He knew straight away I'm new here? Do I really stand out?'_

"Yen for your thoughts?" I hear a voice say. I look up and see I have arrived at the nurse's office. The door is open with the nurse looking at me. 

"Sorry, I was daydreaming," I reply. 

"You think Yamaku is that dreamy?" the nurse asks. 

I can't tell if he is asking as a joke or not. After a few seconds the nurse, who was obviously waiting for me to reply to his question, beckons me into the office. 

I enter the office and sit on the same seat I was on yesterday. Nurse then takes his seat and spins it, stopping when he is face to face with me, just like in one of those western secret agent movies where they reveal the obvious bad guy. 

_'If only you had a white cat that you could stroke.'_

"Now then, what can I do for you in these early hours of the morning?" The nurse asks me, bringing me back to the real world. 

"Since I got taken to hospital because of my eye injury, I have had problems sleeping" I reply, leaving the part about my dreams out. "Before then I was very active, my katana training being the main thing." 

Nurse strokes his chin as he listens. "Were there any other activities you took part in?" 

I think back to what else I did. "I biked to and from my last school, and I used to run during middle school. I stopped the running about five years ago." 

Nurse turns his chair so he is looking at his desk and pulls out a file - I'm assuming mine - before opening and reading it. He puts the file on his desk and looks back at me before asking "What would you say if I prescribed you sleeping tablets for your sleep issues?" 

I let out a dry chuckle and reply "I would say yes, but tablets always get stuck in my throat." 

"You don't make this easy for me," Nurse says before letting out a slight chuckle. 

My thoughts are suddenly drawn to those two people I barely saw running last night, prompting me to ask nurse "What physical activities does Yamaku have that I could take part in?" 

Nurse appears to think for a moment before replying "So you want to physically tire yourself? There are several, including running and swimming. There is a student who cycles on the track. Doesn't do his prosthetics that much good however," That last part, being spoken quieter, seems to be more directed to himself than to me. 

"I think cycling with no depth perception may be a bad mix," I say as I let out a slight chuckle followed by one from the nurse. "When I ran for my middle school, I never felt like I was putting 100% effort into it, and that is one of the reasons I stopped." 

Nurse nods his head. "Are you able to swim?" 

I nod my head and Nurse turns his chair away from me to face his desk. I see him grab a pen and start writing something. 

_'I'm not sure why knowing how to swim would be relevant for my medical notes, but then again I'm not a doctor.'_

Nurse then turns back to me, and I see him holding a page with some words written on it. 

_'I guess he wasn't writing in my file.'_

I must have a look of confusion on my face because the nurse then says "This is for you to give to the lifeguard on duty in the swimming pool if you do decide to swim." I open my mouth to ask something but he continues. "Your lack of depth perception won't affect swimming, unless you swim too fast into the wall." He smiles before continuing. "Your eye shouldn't suffer any problems with the water in the pool, if you're wondering that." 

Nurse then passes me the note. I stand up to get ready to leave thanking him. As I exit the room, he says something I can't completely make out. 

As I walk along the corridor and outside, I take a look at the note the nurse gave me and see barely intelligible writing, I think I can make out my name and the word swimming. I take a look at my watch and see I still have plenty of time before class are supposed to start. I may as well at least try out swimming. Now, do I have any swimming trunks in the bag I haven't unpacked yet?


	4. Chapter 4: The Swimming Pool

**Chapter 4: The Swimming Pool**

While walking along the main corridor inside the male dormitory, I get the feeling that it has somehow gotten longer, even though I was here less than an hour ago. I reach my door, unlock it and enter. As I do so, I hear someone locking or unlocking what sounds like multiple locks from one of the rooms I just passed. I doubt I'm the reason for the person locking or unlocking whichever door that is as I have been told I walk surprisingly quietly.

Closing my door behind me, I shake the thought from my head just as another thought enters. I wonder if I even have a pair of swimming trunks here, I don't remember seeing any when I was unpacking earlier. I take a quick look around my room and immediately spot an unopened box. I walk to it before opening it to find it is full of clothes. Seeing as I don't remember seeing any trunks earlier, then they should be in this box...

I pull one of my hoodies out, revealing a pair of trunks with a towel below them. I start to look for a bag to take with me before remembering that I took it out earlier. I scan my room and quickly find the bag in a corner of the room. I put the trunks and towel in the bag before exiting the room to go to the pool.

I enter the auxiliary building and walk down the corridor. I see a sign for the male changing rooms, and I begin to wonder how big the pool would be here. Opening the door, I see the room isn't as different from normal changing rooms as I was expecting, save for the wider aisles and some sort of half-soft rubberised honeycomb material on the floor. I assume it's some sort of anti-slip thing. I start to get changed into my swimming trunks and remember the note the nurse gave me is still in my pocket. I take it out and place it next to my bag before resuming my changing. Once I'm done, I zip my bag up and proceed to the other end of the room with note in hand.

I turn the corner that's up ahead and arrive at the door to an office. I knock before slowly opening it. Once it's partially open I see a male sitting in front of a desk overlooking the pool room. The man's attention slowly drifts to me his face showing signs of slight confusion. I watch as his eyes lower to my chest. Confused for a second, I remember the scars on my chest aren't the nicest thing to look at. My hand instinctively covers the worst part of the scars as my self-consciousness towards them rears its head. The man asks me my name which I tell him followed by me passing him the note. He takes it and is able to read it, something that I couldn't do due to nurse's handwriting. He reaches for a phone on his desk. Putting it to his ear, he dials some numbers before speaking "Hello, Rakujochigusa?"

As the person starts speaking into the receiver, I start to hear the sound of someone singing, from the direction of the only other door in this corridor; the pool's direction. From where I stand I have a bad view, so I can't tell who it is, except that they're female and they're singing in a different language… English possibly? I'm not sure if it's the voice or the song itself, but there is something calming about what I'm hearing.

The voice is drowned out when I hear the man calling my name, "Shibanuma, you may join Sakurai in the pool.

"Okay, and thank you" I politely reply.

I start walking to the entrance of the pool room. This is the direction the singing is coming from, too. I open the door and immediately see the pool is bigger than what I was expecting. The singing is still present, complete with a slight echo, assumedly from the room's design. As I slowly look around the room, I notice the singing coming to a stop. My head turns to the far side of the pool where I can see a girl with long brown hair far away from me, in the water leaning against the pool's edge. Looking through the water's clear surface, I can see she is wearing a light blue one-piece swimsuit with white accents. Something about her seems familiar. She seems to be resting and I feel like I should perhaps announce myself but something is stopping me. I stay stood in this doorway watching her. After some time, I hear her let out a sigh. She slowly spins round and freezes when she sees me before letting out a gasp.

 _'Maybe I should have announced myself beforehand?_

"Err, sorry for startling you." I apologise, making my voice a bit louder than normal in order for it to reach her on the far side of the pool.

The girl replies in a nervous tone. It may be due to the acoustics of the room, distance or the quietness of her voice but I barely hear her nervously reply "It's… It's alright, you j- just surprised me," 

"Yeah, sorry about that. Your singing distracted me," I sheepishly say. 

"Y- you heard that?" she replies, looking shocked. I'm not sure why though. 

"Yeah, it was nice, although I don't know what you were singing" I admit to her. 

She offers a small smile before she slowly starts pushing herself away from the edge of the pool and starts swimming towards me. I see she is swimming using only her arms. I then realise why she seemed familiar, she was the one in the wheelchair yesterday. 

She soon reaches my side of the pool and rests her arms one this pools edge. Then she looks up at me with her purple eyes and I say "it was a nice song, although I don't know which language it was in. 

Akemi says "The song I was singing was in English, my parents used to love it, my sister and c- cousin hate it though." 

_"Used to?" I wonder why they don't now._

"Y- You're here to swim right? The w- water is warm," the girl says. "Y- You can swim, right?" 

"Hmm, to an extent, yes," I answer as I walk the small distance to the pool's edge before sitting and dipping my legs into the water. The first thing I notice is that it is cooler than I was expecting. 

"I thought you said it was warm?" I comment, looking at her. 

"It w- will be once you've gone underwater," The girl answers, offering an encouraging, yet nervous smile. 

_I'm not so sure about that, but I might as well give it a try._

I slide my bottom off the edge and cause my whole body to go into the water with her watching. As the water touches all of my body, I feel the wave of cold water wash over me, causing me to scramble out of the pool and onto the edge 

"T- That's freezing!" I cry out, teeth chattering. 

I start hearing girlish laughter from my side, and I look to see her laughing and smiling. 

After a little while, she is able to stifle her laughter to the point where she can speak, "S- Sorry, I didn't realise it was cold. Plus, you weren't meant to jump s- straight in." 

"T- Then what was I meant to do, miss… err, what's your name?" I ask, realising we haven't said our names. 

Smiling, she answers, "Just slowly lower yourself in. Your body will get used to it that way, and my name's Sakurai, Akemi Sakurai." 

"Ryuunosuke Shibanuma. Wouldn't doing that cause your feet and legs to freeze-" I stop myself - slightly too late however. 

Showing no signs of disgust at my gaffe, she answers, "I wouldn't know, I- I have no feeling below my knees." 

"I'm sorry," I apologise. 

"Don't be, you weren't the one who destroyed the nerves. Do you want to try getting in the pool again? But this time slower?" Akemi asks, with a slightly cheeky smile. 

_I guess causing her to laugh broke the proverbial ice. The ice was almost literal judging by the coldness though._

"Um, R- Ryuunosuke?" I hear Akemi calling my name, "Yasuko may call me beautiful, b- but could you please stop staring at me?" 

_Was I? Oops. No idea who that is, but okay._

"Sorry, I got distracted," I say. 

_Probably not the best use of words there._

Looking at, but not staring at Akemi, I notice her gaze is slightly below my head. I then realise she's looking at my chest - my scarred chest. 

My arm automatically goes up to covers them as my say "Please ignore these scars." 

Her gaze is now at my face as she apologises. I seize this chance to start lowering myself into the cold pool again. It doesn't feel as bad, going in slowly compared to going all in quickly. Eventually most of me, most importantly my chest, is under the water, although I am nearly sitting on the pool floor. 

I look to Akemi as she asks "Why are you here anyway, Ryuunosuke?" 

_I thought it'd be obvious?_

"Because of my eye." 

Letting out a small sigh, Akemi says "Not Y- Yamaku, in this pool." 

_Ah, that makes more sense._

"I struggle to get to sleep if I haven't done any kind of exercise. The nurse suggested several exercise activities, and swimming caught my interest, so I'm here," I explain. "If you want to be alone, I can come at another time. " 

"You can stay," Akemi says, "The o- only other person here is the lifeguard," she points in the direction of the doorway. "He can be quite boring, though." She smiles, but not towards me. 

"You know I can hear you." We hear a voice call out. I suddenly look towards the sound and see the lifeguard standing in the doorway looking at us. I can't quite make out his expression due to the wall light next to him. 

_That's who she was smiling at._

Akemi calls out in a playful tone, almost sing-a-long like. "I know." 

Akemi smiles at the lifeguard until he walks back into his office overlooking the pool. While she is looking at the lifeguard, I notice her smile is rather beautiful. I start walking in the water and after a few steps I turn around and start walking backwards. I see Akemi is giving me a curious look. I give her a look of my own to match. 

"You said you can swim right? How well can you do that, Ryuuno?" Akemi asks. 

_Ryuuno… there was only one person who called me that._

"Do you not like that name?" Akemi asks. 

_I guess she saw my face fall with that name._

"It's not the name… It's just that my last girlfriend called me that before… she parted." I notice Akemi blushes slightly. "As for swimming... Does the doggy paddle count?" 

Akemi lets out a laugh which she quickly covers. "Sorry, I think the doggie paddle would count. I can swim using only my arms when I so desire, other times I do use my legs." 

She then pushes off of the pool's edge she's on and begins swimming, even in the waist high water. As she swims with her arms, she moves her smooth slender legs. Her ankles seem to have something wrapped around them. I would say something but it doesn't seem to be hindering her. 

Before I know it, she has reached the other side of the pool and is turned around facing me with her arms on the pool's edge behind her. 

"I- Is there something on my back or d-do you just like watching girls swim?" Akemi teases in a seemingly nervous tone. 

Before I have a chance to react to her comment, she apologises. "Sorry, I think I've been around Yasuko too much." 

I start wading my way from the shallow end of the pool to the deep end, as the water reaches just below my neck I stop and ask, "Who is Yasuko?" 

"Best friend, sister, cousin, she's everything. Always willing to help me when I need it - and also when I don't. She came to Yamaku with me," she replies with some force behind her words. 

Seeing as I am at the furthest point I can walk in the pool I guess I need to show off my swimming skills, or lack thereof. I start to swim, without any elegance and with a lot of splashing. I steadily make my way towards the deep end where Akemi is. After finally reaching the end, I notice my breathing has grown heavy. I also hear some sort of muffled sound to my side. I look over and see Akemi appears to be trying to stifle her laughter. Looking towards her seems to have been the catalyst that causes her to lose control as she starts laughing. Her laughter, however, doesn't last as she lets out a gasp as her face drops. 

Concerned, I ask "What's wrong?" 

"Y- your eye, it's b-bleeding!" she cries out in a worried voice. 

Bring my hand to my left eye, I wipe around and on the eye with my hand. I then look at the hand and sure enough, there's a small amount of blood mixed in with drops of water from my previous splashing. I let out a sigh and look at Akemi before offering a smile before telling her "Don't worry, this happens often, the doctors say it's harmless, although annoying at times" 

Akemi nods, still with a concerned look on her face. 

"I- If you say so." She asks. 

I pull on the pool's edge, lift myself out of the pool and wait for the bleeding to stop. 

After a short while, I look down and recheck my eye to see if my Haemolacryia has stopped and I find it has. I look up back at Akemi who asks "You're the new p- person in my year right?" 

"Yes, I started yesterday," I respond, "and already having sleep issues," I follow up in a smaller voice. 

"I k- knew it was you, me and Yasuko saw yesterday," She says with an underlying excited tone. 

_Yesterday? I guess she means when I was lost and walked straight past them._

Smiling, Akemi says "I think w- we'd better do some swimming, the lifeguard i-is at the doorway and he is starting to look unhappy." 

I look round and see he is in the doorway, arms folded. 

_What exactly is his issue? Could it be because of the time of the morning?"_

We start swimming, and Akemi is clearly faster than me, although she is using her upper legs this time. Her lower legs seem to trail behind her like dead weight. After we do a few more laps, each ending with Akemi waiting for me at each end, my muscles start to feel different. I guess that is because swimming uses some muscles I don't normally use. I reach the end of the current lap, and Akemi is waiting for me. 

"Having fun Ryuunosuke?" Akemi asks with a smile on her face. I guess she likes swimming more than the average person. 

"Yes, I am actually," I reply. I actually am, save for this feeling in some of my muscles. I then realise her stutter has disappeared. 

_I guess she was a little uneasy when I first got here._

"Good," she simply says before pushing her arms off the edge of the pool and swimming. This time however, I don't follow as I suddenly struggle to breathe. I immediately put my arms on the top of the pool's edge and transfer as much weight to them as I can, so I exert less energy. I then close my eyes and focus on my breathing while hearing the sound of Akemi swimming. A while passes, and my breathing is back to normal when I reopen my eyes, I look around and see Akemi is next to me, looking at me with worried eyes. 

"Err, hi," I simply say. 

"Are you alright?" she asks, worry sounding in her voice. 

"Yeah, I'm just not used to swimming, so my muscles got tight." I answer. 

"It's bad to overexert yourself the first time Ryuunosuke. Y- You wouldn't want to get injured. P- Please don't overexert yourself next time." Akemi says, a tiny bit of red showing on her cheeks. 

"I'll try my best although I'll be more likely to drown than to injure myself." I say, jokingly. 

I feel like I may have just stepped onto a landmine as I notice Akemi's smile drop. 

I am about to apologise for any implications my joke made, but Akemi beats me by changing the subject. "You were lost yesterday when you passed me and Yasuko, weren't you?" 

Akemi's question makes me let out a little quiet sigh. 

"Yes, I was trying to find the cafeteria, and I think I went in every room in the building before I found it," I reply. 

"We thought so. You were walking into a dead-end corridor. I r- remember because once we had left the floor, Yasuko c- complimented y- your scar." 

"Really? Sounds like a nice friend." I say with a small smile on my face from the second-hand compliment. 

Akemi smiles more before saying "Yasuko is more than a friend; one of the two people I trust anything with. She is always bugging me for whe-," Akemi's eyes go wide as she cuts herself off before saying "Ignore that please." 

_I wonder what she was going to say. Whatever it was, she obviously wasn't meant to say it._

"I need to get out of the pool now, could you move back a bit please?" Akemi asks. I oblige and move back, still next to the edge though. I watch as Akemi pushes up on the overflow gutter-thing pushing herself under the water. My eye follows her shimmering body as she goes deeper and as it looks like she's reached the bottom, she appears to push from the bottom of the pool shooting herself up, breaking the water's surface. As she breaks the surface, her hands make a grab for the top of the pools edge and she somehow manages to pull and twist her body so that the next moment she is sitting on the edge of the pool looking at me. 

_'How was she able to do that so easily? I can completely move my legs and I doubt I could do that._

Akemi sees my surprised face and asks "Are you alright Ryuunosuke?" 

"Uh, yeah. Just surprised that you are able to do that, I doubt I could." I reply. Akemi just smiles at me, a bit of red appearing on her cheeks. 

Looking slightly down, but with a visible smile on her face, Akemi says "You should have seen the bruises from when I first tried it." 

"Is there any reason why you got out of the pool Akemi?" I ask, curious. 

"It's been about an hour since my last rest, y- you should get out too so we r- rest at same time in the next hour. It's also a good idea seeing as you were overexerting yourself, it will give you time to recover." Akemi replies, a smile upon her face. 

I can't argue against that, especially the last part, so I grab the edge and pull myself out, not as easily as Akemi did though. 

After her statement, there are a few moments of silence, save for the low buzz of a filtration system. "Now that we've rested, ready to continue s- swimming, Ryuunosuke?" 

Akemi straightens her thighs and allows her body to slide into the pool. She ends up going under the water but quickly resurfaces. She looks at me with a smile and asks "R- Ready to learn how to s- swim?" 

I nod and slide into the pool the same way she did. For the next hour, Akemi and I do laps at a slower pace. Initially she is swimming as slow as I, trying to get me to change how I swim to be more efficient. As the hour draws on, Akemi starts to get slightly faster, almost as if she's trying to get me to go faster. Akemi is quite fast, even for a paraplegic, well… a partial paraplegic. 

The hour draws to an end, and I am resting at the deep end of the pool after having done laps upon laps. Akemi is nearing the shallow end of the pool. I decide to join her there so I start swimming. After an hour and with help from Akemi, my swimming is better. I get to about halfway across the pool, and I look to see where Akemi is. I see she has reached the shallow end and is using her arms to get up. As I'm not focusing on my new swimming pattern, I accidentally go under the water, but I quickly resurface and focus on my swimming until I start to feel the pool floor beneath my feet. Once my feet are on the floor, I start wading the rest of the way as I look towards Akemi who is now in a wheelchair. I notice she is bending down, and as I draw closer I see she is removing some straps that are wrapped around her ankles. As they're removed by her, I see red marks where they were. She then sits back up and I see some quite bad looking slightly curved scars around both her kneecaps and extending a bit lower on her right leg. How scarred are the top of her legs? 

"Is something wrong Ryuunosuke?" 

I hear Akemi ask. I look from her legs to her face and see she is looking at me. "No, sorry Akemi." 

Akemi just stares at me for a few seconds as though she's judging me. She then asks "W- will you be h- here again tomorrow?" 

Thinking for a second, I answer. "Most likely, I need to do some sort of strenuous activity so I can sleep at night. What about you Akemi?" I offer a smile afterwards. 

"M- Me?" Akemi seems surprised by my turnaround, "I- I'm always here i-in the morning. I've always loved swimming, even before I stopped being a-able to use my legs." She then leans forward again and puts her arms on her shins. I'm pretty sure I just saw a flicker of sadness in that smile of hers. 

*Akemi's P.O.V* 

I wheel myself away from the auxiliary building and towards the girls' dorms. On my way, I push on the bars on my wheels to make myself go faster before I let it coast for quite a bit further than normal. I see the ramp I need to go up quickly approaching. I try to gain speed with my arms, but as soon as I hit the ramp I lose all the speed I gained, so now it is crawling up. Thankfully the doors at the end of the ramp open. The person who opened the doors turns out to be Kaiya, still with her black and red-tipped hair. I remember her saying she was going to change that. I'm glad she's remembered to have her nasal cannula in. 

"Hey Akemi. Need any help?" She calls out once she sees me, a smile on her face. Her plan for her boyfriend must have worked. Seeing me struggling, even after two years here, she doesn't wait for me to answer before walking behind my wheelchair and pushing. 

"Thank you, Kaiya." I say. I expect her to let go once we're at the top but she doesn't. She presses the automatic door open button and pushes me inside. 

"You didn't injure your legs again with your stunt, showing off?" Kaiya asks me, a slightly mocking tone in her voice. 

I close my eyes and let out a groan before opening my eyes and replying. "No, please forget that. I still have Yasuko teasing me about 'The Mysterious Blood'." 

"Best be careful when you're showing off to cute boys." Kaiya quips, causing me to snap my head to her. 

"W-what do you mean?" 

_Damn, the stuttering._

Kaiya looks at me with a mischievous smile before replying slowly. "After I woke up and went to the common room, Ayane was there and said that as she was racing after Miki, she caught sight of the new guy in the third year trying to hide himself from them. She also said she saw him again walking to the auxiliary building with a bag. I don't need to look at you to know you're thinking of him, and blushing," A smile big smile creeps on her face, "You have a crush on him, right? What would Yasuko say, Akemi?" 

_Yasuko would probably try to kill hi- what?_

"N-No Kaiya, of course not! I've only just met him." I instantly say back. 

Before I know it, we've arrived outside a door. I reach out and knock on it, and almost immediately it is answered. The door opens to reveal a girl with orange braided hair over one of her shoulders and pinkish eyes. 

_'How long before Kaiya tells Yasuko about my pool visitor._

"Hello you two, come in. I thought you were going for a walk Kaiya?" Yasuko says as she walks across her messy room and sits on her bed. Kaiya pushes me to the bed before she sits on it. As we enter I notice the room has a fruitier smell than normal. 

Kaiya smiles and then tells Yasuko "I was, but as I got to the entrance I started to get out of breath." Her saying this causes me to look at her sharply. 

_She was out of breath, and she pushed me all the way to Yasuko room?_

Kaiya seemingly ignores the look I'm giving her as she tells Yasuko what little information she knows about my visitor to the pool. Curious, I listen and find out that apparently, he's good with a katana. I guess not good enough, considering his eye. My thoughts are driven towards Ryuunosuke and his eye. Weirdly I like the scar that cuts across it, even if he can't see out of that eye. 

"-must be thinking of him now." I vaguely hear Kaiya say, bringing me out of whatever state I'm in. I let out a sigh. 

_She knew?_

"N-No I'm not! Plus, I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm odd." I protest. 

"We go to a school for the disabled, of course we're odd," Yasuko quips. "What did you do?" 

I meekly reply "I tried to act l-like you two but I kept slipping and stuttering." 

"Did you show him your trick?" Kaiya asks. 

"My jumping out of the pool one, yeah. I did forget he was there when I did it though. He did stare. He said he was surprised that I could do it." 

"I'm pretty sure he enjoyed that," Kaiya says with a smirk on her face. 

I look at Yasuko who appears to be angrily staring at her. Kaiya looks at her and smiles before they both look at me. 

_Why me?_

"I hope he isn't planning anything," Yasuko says, a menacing look appearing on her face. 

I silently groan hoping Yasuko won't do anything. 

Suddenly there's a very male sounding groan coming from Yasuko's bed causing the three of us to look at it. As I quickly turn my head, I feel my neck click followed by a weird sensation. Ignoring it, I turn my head to the now bright red Yasuko and whisper "Y- You didn't…" 

I catch a view of Kaiya's face which seems to be wearing a smug look. 

*Ryuunosuke's P.O.V* 

_*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*_

 _As I walk next to Lilly around Yamaku, I notice a rhythmic tapping sound coming from her direction. I turn my head to the left, where she is and see the tapping is in time with her cane. I feel the wind rushing past my face. Lilly's cane's tapping starts to get louder. I turn my head again to look at Lilly and see she is facing me, but she has something missing; her head is completely blank where her face is meant to be. I am about to speak out-._

 _*BANG*_

Jolting upright, I accidentally shout out "Ahh!" 

This gets some laughter as I gather my surroundings. As I do, I realise I'm at Yamaku and Shiori isn't here. I look round and see the classmates who are laughing while others seem to be as surprised as I am. I hear a female in front of my desk clear her throat. I look forward and see Miyagi is standing in front of my desk with a thick book that wasn't there before. 

_'I guess that's what caused the bang._

Looking at her face, she is wearing a disapproving look on her face. Sheepishly, I utter an apology and her response is for me to meet her outside the class. She looks up at who I assume is the class helper and tells him to cover for a few minutes before signalling me to get up and follow her out of the room. I do so, and as I cross the threshold, she closes the door. 

Miyagi looks at me with a stern look "Shibanuma, first, I'm sorry for having to resort to using the book to wake you up, but my tapping on the desk wasn't working." 

_'So that explains the tapping in the dream_

Unaware of my thoughts, Miyagi continues. "What was the reason for you falling asleep in my class?" 

"I'm sorry. I, uh, hardly got any sleep last night, so I went to the Nurse who suggested swimming. I did that and swam this morning. I guess it backfired." 

The look on her face softens as she asks "Is the lack of sleep because you're starting a new school?" 

"Maybe," is my only response. I'd rather not talk about these nightmares I get. 

"Changing schools is always a challenge, no matter how well you're prepared for it, emotionally and physically. Seeing as this is only your second day of school, I won't give you a punishment, but I will have too if it becomes a regular thing." 

I nod my head to signal I understand. Just as well she doesn't seem to be an overly strict teacher. She smiles and says "Good, then back into class we go." 

Opening the door, Miyagi signals for me to go in first which I do. Everyone turns their heads in my direction, and a few of them follow as I take my seat between Masahiro and Lilly. After taking my seat, I look to see if Miyagi is at her desk, and I suddenly hear a male voice quite close to my left ear causing me to jump a bit. "I hope everything is okay, Shibanuma. Sorry for startling you." 

Turning my head to see the person on my blind side, I see a young man, possibly only a few years older than myself kneeling next to me with a small look of concern on his face. "I'm good. May I ask who you are?" 

The man offers a warm smile before answering "Certainly, my name is Shimohira. As you have probably guessed, I'm the class helper. Seeing as you are good now, I'll take my leave to help the others." 

I slowly nod my head once, and he gets up off his knees and walks to another person. 

Sitting in my room, still taking in everything in it and the fact that this is what I am calling home for the next few months, I think to myself that It may be a good idea to get myself some food supplies in case I get hungry while within my room. I look down at what I'm wearing and remember I'm still wearing the school clothes. I change into some more comfortable clothes I brought with me; dark blue tracksuit trousers, a hoodie and a black shirt. I look down at myself and smile and say out loud to no one in particular "Hello, I am dark blue man." 

_Eh, that sounded much better inside my head._

Ridding my head of that poor name, I dig into one of my drawers to find my wallet. I open it to check to see how much money I have and find I have plenty - enough for at least a few weeks here I believe. I pop the wallet into my pocket and exit my room.


	5. Chapter 5: Impromptu Meeting

**Chapter 5: Impromptu Meeting** ****

*Akemi's P.O.V*

As I exit Yasuko's room, the image of her reddened face looking down stays in my head. I wheel myself to my room and push my door so it will close but before it does so, a foot belonging to Kaiya stops it. 

"Akemi?" I hear Kaiya call out. She walks into my room and fully closes the door. 

"I can't believe she's got a guy in the bed." I spit out to Kaiya. I start moving myself from my wheelchair to my bed. Quickly grabbing my wheelchair with one hand and my bed with the other, I'm glad I remembered to put the wheelchair's brake on. 

"I'm more surprised that you didn't notice him to start with." Her usual smiling face disappears and is replaced by an apologetic one. "Although, I may have helped hide him." 

"What!" I almost shout, nearly falling in the middle of my transition. 

_It is situations like this where I hate the fact that my mother's horse destroyed my legs._

I suddenly feel a pair of hands start to help me. After Kaiya has finished helping me onto the bed I thank her. 

"Before I left the dorm this morning I may have helped Yasuko hide that guy. I thought it was going to work, seeing as you didn't notice nearly all her pillows were piled over him on the bed," _Really?_ "but, it seemed that guy has a knack for bad-timing." 

"W-Who is he?" 

I see the outer parts of Kaiya's lips curl upwards into a cheeky smile which means she is going to try to tease me, so I give her a look that screams 'Not now, Kaiya'. It works, and the smile drops. 

"No fun are you?" She pouts, "I don't know who the guy is. Apparently, he's in my year though. Why are you so upset about Yasuko and that guy anyway? You haven't fallen for your cousin, have you?" a sly smile appearing on her face. 

"No, of course I haven't. I'm upset because we made a promise to each other to not have any secrets, especially with guys." I say. 

"You two seem to act more like sisters than cousins. I'm pretty sure alcohol and Yasuko don't mix well do they Akemi?" Kaiya responds, still with her sly smile which changes into a full-on smile as I feel a little bit confused now. 

_So that was alcohol I smelt!_

I let out a sigh. 

"I don't know any more than that... She didn't seem to have a hangover when I woke her," Kaiya says "I bet it will come later." 

_I hope it does._

Kaiya looks slightly above me and seems to be studying something. I am about to ask her what, but she beats me by saying "Your roots are starting to show Akemi. Do you want me to help re-dye it?" 

I shake my head as I tell her "Re-dye it brown? No. I am thinking of dyeing it red for the festival though." 

"When are you going to go back to your natural silver colour? It's cute with your purple eyes." 

I feel my cheeks blush gaining a soft chuckle from her. _I forgot I showed her photos of me, my twin sister and Yasuko from before I dyed it._

"I'll help you if you want," Kaiya says, with a smile on her face. "Now, about your new swimming friend…" Her smile changes to one of mischievousness. 

_Help?_

I close the door to the nurse's office after going there to get my weekly medication, which helps ease my almost monthly epileptic attacks. _Perhaps Ryuunosuke should know. It may be bad if he doesn't know what to do and panics._

I wheel myself out of the auxiliary building and see it is still as bright as it was this morning. I would stay out in this weather, but I need to put this bag in my room before I confront Yasuko about this morning. 

I see the ramp to the girls' dormitory looming so I speed up my wheeling and successfully manage to make it up and over the ramp before my speed goes to a crawl. I smile to myself as that was much better than this morning after the swimming. After entering the dormitory, I make my way into the lift and to my floor. Wheeling to my room, I enter and put my medicine bag in the drawers next to my bed. I turn to exit my room to go to Yasuko's but then stop as I realise that if Kaiya was right about her hangover - she'll probably be at least a tiny bit hungry. 

Not wanting to go all the way to the ground floor kitchen I look around my room to see if I have any food left. I immediately spot half of a sandwich I had this morning from before I went swimming. I'm pretty sure the bread may have hardened but it should still be edible. Even if it isn't, it'll be a small amount of payback. 

I put the sandwich, complete with plate, onto my lap and head out my room. I head to Yasuko's room and knock loudly on her door, purposefully. I hear a muffled female groan from the other side of the door which makes me smile slightly. After several seconds, the door opens revealing Yasuko in a dishevelled state and not caring that she's in her underwear. I almost feel sorry for planning to give her this potentially bad sandwich. I watch as Yasuko turns around and walks to her bed before flopping onto it. I'm pretty sure that would hurt your head and neck, especially when you have a broken neck that was fixed incorrectly. 

"You look awful." I say as I wheel myself in. 

I purposefully slam to door behind myself, and as expected it makes a loud noise, earning a pained sound from Yasuko. Wheeling myself to her bed, Yasuko rolls over onto her side, and I pass her the sandwich I have on my lap. 

"Here is some food. You look worse than before class." 

Yasuko reaches out from the bed and takes the sandwich I offer her. 

"Yeah… Delayed hangovers are the worst... Kaiya came by earlier with her remedy. It didn't work though," 

She then starts eating the sandwich. 

_I'm pretty sure you drank more than she usually does, but there is a more important topic I need to ask her about."_

"Yasuko?" she pauses her sandwich eating and looks straight at me, "How is your neck doing?" 

"Sore… and painful. And no, I'm not going to wear that thing," she points to a neck brace, "No matter how much you badger me about it." 

_That neck brace may not fix her neck, just like the hospital, but surely it would ease the pain?_

As she continues nibbling on the sandwich, I decide to address the other issue that's been on my mind. 

I look straight into Yasuko's eyes and ask - possibly with a bit more venom in my voice than I intended: "So, where did the guy go?" 

Moving the sandwich away from her mouth, Yasuko scrunches her eyes up and rolls back onto her back before reopening them. "Please, keep your voice down. All sounds are hurting." She sighs. "After you two left, we waited until classes started, and then I helped him leave without anyone seeing - hopefully at least." She replies slowly. 

Although she can't see me now, I glare at her. A few moments pass, and Yasuko lets out a ragged sigh before saying "Go on, ask the question." 

"Why did you sleep with that guy?" I ask, trying to remain calm. 

"You know you aren't my mother, right Akemi?" she snaps at me. 

_Ouch._

I recoil in surprise at her statement. 

Yasuko then looks shocked before changing her expression to a more apologetic one before letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry Akemi. Forgive me. That was uncalled for. This headache is messing me up." 

"The guy was some second year, and I didn't sleep with him," she says, replying to my question in a pained tone. 

Still reeling from her little outburst, I ask "W-Why was he in your bed then?" 

"Ugh, one of our neighbours had a little party last night. She invited me and that guy was there too. We may have both drunk more than we should have, so me being a drunken idiot, I let him stay in my room while we recovered - or tried too." She meekly adds "It seemed like a good idea at the time." 

I turn my wheelchair to the door, muttering quietly, but loud enough for her to hear, "You are a real idiot." 

I hear her let out a little snort. 

*Ryuunosuke's P.O.V* 

I arrive at the gates of Yamaku. The gates feel like they separate two worlds: the outside world where stuff is normal and the inside world where everyone is the same and different at the same time. I know I shouldn't be thinking this way, but I can't help it. Passing through the gates, I look both ways to see which way to go. One way leads up this hill a bit more to a large grey building, and the other leads down the hill where, in the distance, I can see what looks to be a small town. I turn to that direction and start walking. As I'm walking I notice there is a person in front of me; a person who is tall and with long, blonde hair, so I am reasonably sure it is Lilly. 

Quickening my pace, I soon catch up with her. As I draw near, she turns her head revealing that I was correct. 

"Hello, Satou," I call out reaching her side. 

Lilly turns her head with a look of confusion as if she is trying to remember something. A moment passes before I realise she is probably trying to remember my name. 

"It's Shibanuma," I simply say, hoping she'll remember me, and judging by her facial expression now, she does. 

"Shibanuma… Ah, Ryuunosuke, how are you?" she asks. 

_She remembers my first name._

"More awake than in class this morning," My reply earns me a puzzled look from her, and I remember that she wasn't in class for the first period due to a meeting she said she had with the Student Council President. From the way she spoke, she doesn't seem particularly fond of them. 

"Are you alright?" I hear concern in Lilly's voice. 

"Oh, sorry. I was thinking. And yes, I am good, thank you," I apologetically reply. An idea rushes into my head as I realise something, "Say, Sa- no, Lilly? You're heading to the town, aren't you?" 

_I wonder how long before I remember to call my classmates by their first names and not by their last names like I am used to._

I spot a small smile on Lilly's face as she replies "As it happens, I am. Would you care to join me?" 

Having Lilly as my guide will feel a bit odd due to our circumstances, but it will definitely stop me from getting lost. Also, I may be able to get to know her better. 

Lilly and I arrive in the town at the bottom of the hill. As we walk down one of the streets, I hear and feel my stomach produce a grumbling sound. Looking over to Lilly, it appears she heard it too. She has a slight smile on her face as I awkwardly laugh. 

I turn my head and face Lilly before asking; jokingly "You didn't know I would be hungry, did you?" 

Noticing the slight jokiness in my voice, I presume, Lilly replies with "That would be an impressive amount of foresight, Ryuunosuke." 

I feel my stomach not only growling but also starting to hurt. I guess I should have eaten more at lunch. 

I smile at Lilly before asking "Would it be possible to eat before we get our shopping done? I'll pay for the food." 

"That's kind of you Ryuunosuke, but are you sure?" Lilly asks. 

"Yes, you helped me get used to this school out of your own kindness, so let me show some kindness back." I wholeheartedly reply. _Miki helped me as well, but she isn't here._ "But, ah, I don't know any food places in this town." I meekly add. 

"Okay, how about the Shanghai?" Lilly offers." 

"Sounds great! Afterwards, we'll do the shopping." I enthusiastically reply - probably too enthusiastically. 

When we arrive at the Shanghai I find it isn't exactly what I was expecting. I expected it to be some sort of Chinese food place, but the exterior looks like a relatively normal building. As we enter the building it turns out it is some sort of café or tea shop. We are quickly met by an older woman, and after Lilly and the woman exchange pleasantries, she guides us to an empty table in the corner. Surprisingly she doesn't seem surprised to see someone like me with an obvious defect. Thinking about it, it may be because of the close proximity of this place to the school. Once we're seated, the woman rushes to another pair of customers waiting for the same. I look at Lilly who appears to be waiting patiently on her side. 

While the waitress is away, I look around for a menu but cannot see one. Turning back to face Lilly I ask "do you know where they keep the menus?" 

The look on Lilly's face makes it seem like I told some sort of joke. A second later, she replies "I truthfully do not know if they have menus, Hanako and I have never seen any. You could ask when the waitress comes back though." 

_I wonder if the Hanako Lilly is talking about is the same Hanako I've bumped into, literally._

I could do that, or I could ask if they have my favourite meal. The waitress soon reappears after taking the other people to a table. She asks us what we want, and I ask her if they do Mapo Doufu. To my pleasant surprise, they do. I order that and pour myself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table. Lilly tells the waitress that she'd like to have what she normally does. I assume Lilly comes here often. 

After some time passes, our meals arrive. As I start to eat mine I look over to see what Lilly ordered, but I can't even describe what it is. It looks tasty, but I won't intrude on her food. 

We finish our meals and drinks, and Lilly wipes her hands on some napkins that came with her meal. She moves her head so she is now looking in my general direction. "Would you be alright if I felt your face, Ryuunosuke?" 

That is sudden, but I know why she's asking; it's so she can 'see' me. 

"It's okay. I guess it's the only way you can see me without relying on other people." 

My statement seems to surprise Lilly judging by her facial expression, so I go on to explain. "My aunt was blind." 

Lilly puts her hands up in front of her, and I help her by guiding them towards my face. I slow down as I suddenly worry what she will think of my latest scar and how she'll react. Pushing that thought to the back of my mind, I carry on pulling her hands to my face. 

Her hands trace over my face, softly and slowly. Her hands feel quite soft, almost as soft as one other person I knew. As Lilly's fingers cross my scar, I hear her let out a small, surprised gasp, but she carries on tracing without retracting her fingers. A few moments later she retracts her fingers with a smile on her face but with a hint of confusion. 

"Is something wrong Lilly?" I ask her. 

"Is there something wet on my fingers, Ryuunosuke?" She asks, showing me the palms of her soft, slender hands. I look at them and immediately spot something red. 

_Oh._

"Uh, yes, you do. Blood from my scar," I say as I pick up an unused napkin from the table. 

As I pass her the napkin, she apologises for causing it to bleed. She takes the napkin and wipes her hands again. 

"It isn't your fault Lilly; my left eye sometimes leaks blood." 

Lilly finishes wiping her hands before letting out a smile. 

"You seem like quite a handsome man Ryuunosuke," she states. 

In a way I'm glad Lilly can't see - otherwise she'd most likely see a guy whose cheeks are turning red. 

"T- Thank you. Now you probably know more about what my face looks like than I do. Haven't looked in a mirror since I got this scar." 

Lilly opens her mouth as if to respond, but suddenly our ears are assaulted by a loud 'Wahaha' sound causing both of us to flinch. I rotate my head to see who would make such a loud sound out in public, and my eyes immediately see something even more odd: bright pink hair. 

I then notice the person the pink haired girl is sitting with - a familiar face that I haven't seen for a few years: Shizune. I completely forgot that Jigoro told me that Shizune was also going to Yamaku. 

Seeing her causes me to accidentally call out her name, and the pink haired girl turns to my direction followed by Shizune doing the same. The girl smiles and waves, while Shizune has a look of surprise on her face which then transforms into a noticeable smile followed by a small wave. 

"Ryuunosuke?" 

I turn to face Lilly as she calls my name "Yes, Lilly?" 

"Are you ready to go to the convenience store now?" she asks. 

Something about her tone makes me think she is feeling uncomfortable right now, so I say that I am ready to go. I pay for our meals, and we leave the Shanghai. 

After leaving the Shanghai, Lilly is using me as a guide again - which I feel is ironic, but she's the one who knows the area. To my surprise we come across a convenience store quicker than I anticipated. We enter it, and before I register what's happened, Lilly has pulled out and unfolded her cane and got a basket. Obviously she is used to coming here. Following her lead, I take a basket for my stuff. 

Lilly turns towards me and asks "Do you mind telling me where each item on my list is? I know roughly where they are, but they aren't in Braille." 

It would be difficult to put all items in Braille, not to mention costly. 

"So, what would you have done if I didn't run into you earlier?" I ask, curiosity taking over. 

"I would have asked one of the store assistants to help." She replies, matter-of-factly. 

"Ahh, of course. I will help you Lilly" 

Lilly smiles at my statement. We walk along the aisles, me helping her. 

After a few more stops in the aisles, I guide Lilly to the checkout before realising I was too focussed on helping Lilly to grab any of the stuff for myself. I tell her, earning a small chuckle, before heading off to get various items for myself. Once my basket is full, I take it to the checkout and see Lilly is patiently waiting at the entrance. 

After leaving the store, we arrive at the bottom of the hill that leads to Yamaku. I look up and say, "This looks like a fun hill to climb." 

"You will get used to it in time. Then it won't be as bad," comes Lilly's soft reply. 

A thought appears in my head: _How much would Akemi struggle with this? Her arms did look quite toned but surely it would still be a struggle, right?_

We start to climb the hill, Lilly carrying a bag and walking with her cane and me carrying two of my bags and one of hers. As we continue the climb, a thought pops into my head. 

"Lilly, when we left the Shanghai, the reason we left wasn't entirely the shopping, was it?" I ask. 

I think I see the edge of Lilly's mouth twitch as I ask this. She doesn't answer, so I take it that that assumption was correct. 

"Was the reason because of that pink-haired girl and Shizune?" I ask, with a slight bit of hesitation. 

Lilly stops; and I stop next to her. Did I just step on a landmine, again? I feel I've been doing that quite a bit lately. 

"The pink-haired girl would be Misha. She helps the Student Council President with her duties, mainly by being her voice." _She seems to have the volume for it._ "Hakamichi and I don't get along anymore." 

I guess they used to be close. Well, they _are_ cousins after all Also, Shizune's the president? I've been on her bad side before, and it wasn't pretty, so I'd best not repeat that now. 

I see the gates are now in front of us. We silently walk through the grounds, and soon reach the point where the path to the dormitories splits. 

As I am about to part I tell Lilly "I'll see you in class tomorrow." 

_Oops._

"Okay. Ryuunosuke, tomorrow during lunch, would you care to join Hanako and me in the tea room on the third floor?" she asks ignoring my slip up. "It is a relatively small room a few doors down from the library." 

That could be fun, and I'll be able to see if the Hanako I bumped into in the library is the same as Lilly's Hanako. 

"I will take you up on that offer at some point - but not tomorrow as I'm still trying to remember exactly where everything is." 

Sitting in my room after putting my shopping away, I pull out a diary and pen I have in my drawer and start writing in it. I begin writing about the events here since I started. I used to write in this thing much more but adjusting to this school caused me to forget about it until I spotted it in the corner of the last box I brought with me. I write about my first and second day from first walking through the gates and meeting Mutou and Miyagi followed by Lilly and in some regards, Furude - I've forgotten his first name - to going for an early morning swim and meeting a swimmer who can't use her legs. When I get to the part of Lilly and me in the Shanghai, I realise how much it felt like a date. I pause my writing at this point as thoughts go through my head. 

_Lilly and I are walking together, side by side down a path in a park as the pink leaves of the cherry blossom trees fall to the ground in the wind. It is rather a pretty sight. Neither of us is talking, but it doesn't feel wrong. In fact, it feels nice. Hearing the sound of the wind picking up speed, I look up at the trees, but the leaves aren't moving any more than usual. I feel a chill running down my spine, and I look forward. That is when I see a black mass appearing in front of me. Knowing what this mass transforms into, I stop. I try to call out for Lilly, but I can't hear my own voice. I can hear and see Lilly walking towards the mass with her cane._

 _The mass finishes appearing and reveals itself to be the reaper, with a shortened scythe; shortened enough for the blade to be chest level. I can tell where this is heading and the next scene proves me all to right. I wail in despair as Lilly walks into the blade of the scythe causing blood to spurt out from her. Lilly stops as her head and arms go limp, the blood still squirting out and a bit of it hitting me in my eye, turning my vision partially red._

I wake up and quickly look around. I am in my dorm room, and that was a nightmare - again. Something still feels off though. I sit up from my bed and check my body over. Aside from my eye scar, I don't notice anything wrong. 

I stand up, and as I walk to my window I feel light-headed. Propping myself up as I get to the windowsill, I look out and notice something off. My vision is partially red in my right eye, just like the dream. There is either one of two reasons for this; one, I'm in another dream or two, my left eye bled while I was on my right side. 

Since I'm this rational, I can confidently say its number two. I put on some nearby clothes and head to the bathroom to clear the blood from my eye and wash my face. I'll probably need to change the bedsheets too, depending on how much my eye bled. 


	6. Chapter 6: Conditions

**Chapter 6: Conditions** ****

The next morning, I wake up with an alarm I had almost forgotten to set yesterday. I set it for 6am to give me time to go to the pool again. This time I managed a few hours' sleep despite my earlier awakening. I spend a few minutes getting dressed and making sure I have my swimming stuff in my bag. Once I'm sorted I leave my room and make my way to the auxiliary building.

After a few minutes I am in the changing room. Once I'm changed, I exit them and walk to the corridor leading to the pool and office. As I approach the office, I notice the lifeguard inside is the same one as yesterday. He acknowledges me as I pass by. 

I also hear a voice - Akemi's voice - singing. It sounds like it is the same song as yesterday... possibly. I can't say for certain as yesterday's song was in English and as I told Miyagi two days ago my English is bad. Listening more to it, it has the same melody as the one from yesterday, but I realise it is in Japanese. _Is this the same song?_

I enter the room and see, like yesterday, that she is at the edge of the pool. Partway through her song, she starts turning around. She catches sight of me mid-turn. A shocked expression crosses her face for a second before being replaced by a smile. 

"H-Hello Ryuunosuke," she says, greeting me. 

She then swims diagonally across the pool to the edge nearest me. Her swimming, just like yesterday, is graceful, and I would be forgiven for forgetting she can't use her lower legs. 

Akemi reaches the edge and says "I-I'm surprised you c-came a-again." 

"I did say I would," I reply, smiling back. 

Akemi then pulls herself out of the pool and sits on the edge. She then twists her body and looks at me. 

"C-Can you sit next to me?" she asks. 

"Sure." I reply. As I go to sit down next to her, my feet and ankles dip into the water. 

_Cold pool again? I'd better not let myself slide into it again. If I did, I'm sure it would get a laugh from the girl next to me though._

I look over to Akemi and notice there are several curved scars on her legs. _I wonder what caused those scars._ I remember seeing the ones from her lower legs yesterday. 

"Ry-Ryuunosuke?" Akemi nervously asks. 

"Yeah?" I reply, eye moving from her scarred legs to her face. 

"D-Do you p-plan on swimming a l-lot?" 

_Yesterday's swim was quite enjoyable so possibly yes. I don't have to worry too much about my lack of depth perception. Doing this will help me stay quite fit too. It doesn't hurt that there's a friendly face here._

"Ryuunosuke?" I hear Akemi say. 

"Sorry. Yes, I do plan on it. That is okay, right?" I reply. I wouldn't want to intrude on her. 

"A-are you sure?" she asks, seemingly unconvinced. 

I wonder why she is asking again when I said I would. "Yes... Is something wrong?" I ask with uncertainty in my voice. 

"There's s-something about me you s-should know then." She says, a nervous tone in her voice. 

_You aren't dying, are you?_

"Okay?" I say, with my uncertain tone. 

"I suffer from idiopathic epilepsy, and I think I'll have an attack in about a week or so. T-The medication I t-take only lessens the attacks." 

"Idio-what-now?" I ask, in confusion. 

"P-Pathic. Genetic, my m-mother had it." 

"I knew someone who has epilepsy. We don't talk anymore. But how do you know you may have an attack in a week?" I ask part curious, part worried. 

"I-I know the trigger for it," She replies in a matter-of-fact yet nervous tone, a bit of red showing on her cheeks. 

If she knows the trigger, surely it would be a good idea to avoid it, right? 

I ask Akemi this along with what the trigger is, and I get a nervous laugh from her. "I would avoid it if I could, Ryuunosuke. But, for me it is impossible," she then gives me a slightly sad smile "It's a bit embarrassing, b-but believe me, no one can prevent the t-trigger anyway." 

_What trigger can't be prevented?_

I watch as Akemi now looks into the water near her legs. "D-do you know what t-to do if I were to have an attack while I'm in the water?" 

_That's a scary thought._ "No, I don't, sorry," I admit. 

She looks back at me with a smile and says "No n-need to apologise." She takes in a deep breath before exhaling. "If I were to have an attack - o-one where I'm flailing, there are different types, the absence one is fun - you need to try t-tilt my h-head so it is out of the water s-so I-I don't breathe it in, and if you c-can, move me to the s-shallow end while s-still holding my head. Be careful of the flailing limbs as they will hurt you. Y-You shouldn't try to h-hold them or to put something into my m-mouth to stop me biting my tongue When I have s-stopped flailing, I need to be taken out of the water and p-placed on my side so I c-can recover. A-And of course, s-stay until I-I r-recover. I-It would also be a very g-good idea to shout for t-the lifeguard to come in i-if he hasn't noticed." 

"That is kind of a lot to remember, but I will try my best if it happens." I say with my eyes wide open. 

"T-Thank you." Akemi says, with a genuine smile on her face "N-Now you k-know about both of my c-conditions, c-can I a-ask about your chest s-scars?" 

_Oh. I thought I had seen her eyes dropping to my chest as she was talking. She told me about her epilepsy, so I might as well tell her about these scars. I'm glad they aren't anywhere near as serious as her epilepsy._

"Oh, yeah," I let out a light chuckle "I sometimes forget about these; except for when they tighten. That normally happens when I overexert myself. Might as well tell you, even if I am embarrassed about them... well how I got them that is." Akemi gives me a curious look. "I was five, and I thought it would be smart to play in the fireplace at my home," Akemi's eyes go wide "Thankfully the fire was out, the coals however, were still very hot." I now see Akemi's mouth drop. "As I said, embarrassing. Heh, I think you're the first person I've told for a few years." 

"Is that why you looked p-pained yesterday when you overexerted yourself here?" she asks. 

_She remembered that?_

"Partially," I reply. "Should we start swimming now Akemi?" 

"Y-yeah, you're right." 

As I brace myself for this cold water, I watch Akemi slide into the pool with ease. I follow suit and find the water isn't as shocking as it was yesterday; that may be because I was expecting it to be colder. We then start swimming. 

== Akemi's P.O.V == 

After returning from this morning's swim, I am in my room getting ready for the school day. I just finish getting out of my clothes and into my uniform and look into the mirror on my desk to brush my hair when I hear a familiar knocking pattern at my door. 

I call out "It's unlocked." 

The door opens, and there is Yasuko, looking a lot more sober than yesterday morning. Maybe she has learned her lesson? 

"Already changed I see." Yasuko greets me. 

"No hello?" I ask her sarcastically as I watch her close the door and walk to my bed. As she enters, I see she is wearing her normal horned headband, the horned parts pointing forwards, but not her neck brace. 

"Consider it payback for your loud noises yesterday." She replies, smiling. 

"Y-You did kind of deserve it, though. You did get drunk and had a boy in your bed, and you made me think you broke our promise." My statement makes her pout; it's quite cute really, especially with that headband. 

Speaking of heads, I start to brush my hair. Yasuko sees me doing so, climbs onto my bed to get behind me and takes the brush out of my hand without saying anything. She then starts brushing my hair. It is probably better for her to do it as she can get any knots and tangles out better than I can otherwise my hair might end up looking like that black haired witch who keeps trying to suck up to that old bald dark wizard that has no nose. 

"I probably did - still no reason to do it though. It is almost time, right Akemi?" Yasuko asks. I look round and see a look of worry on her face. 

_Since wha- oh._

I sigh before replying and turning back forwards "About three weeks actually. I told Ryuunosuke about my epilepsy and that my next attack will be in about a week." 

"Ryuunosuke, huh?" _Not again_ "So he turned up again? Did you tell him your menstrual cycle causes it? I bet that surprised him." 

It is now my turn to pout "Not so loud Yasuko. No, I didn't tell him what causes it, it was hard enough to tell Kaiya that, let alone a guy I've just m-met, and yes, he did turn up again. I found out what caused his chest s-scars." 

I suddenly realise I have just left myself open to a perfect teasing opportunity. 

"Chest scars? Huh, I see you're getting cosy with the new guy, Miss Sakurai," she says in her typical teasing tone. 

_Yasuko only calls me 'Miss Sakurai' when she thinks she has one upped me. What can I say to beat- Oh yes, I remember how I can!_

"Weren't y-you the one who said he l-looked nice?" I say, trying and failing to use my own teasing tone. 

"Ow!" I squeal out as the brush Yasuko's using, hits a strong knot. 

"Oh, I'm sorry." I hear her sarcastically say. 

I turn my head to look at Yasuko and notice that even with the stutter and no teasing tone, my tease was effective, as Yasuko turns red. I can't help but express a triumphant smile before saying "Looks like I beat you, Miss Yasuda, but please don't pull out all of my hair." 

"T-This time." Yasuko says. 

_She stuttered? That is very rare. I may also need to pick my timings better._

I look forward again as Yasuko manages to undo the knot - this time with a lot less pain or hair pulling. She soon finishes brushing my hair, and I thank her. I suddenly notice that my wheelchair has somehow rolled from near my bed to near the door; I assume I forgot the brake. 

"Yasuko, could you pass me my wheelchair?" I ask her. 

I feel the bedsprings move as Yasuko moves off to the bed. She then walks to the wheelchair and pushes it to me. Again, I thank her. She then sits on the bed next to me. Her reaction to my teasing on my mind gives me a sudden thought. 

"Yasuko, why'd you react like that when I teased you about how you reacted to Ryuunosuke? You h-haven't fallen for him, have you?" 

_There is something about Ryuunosuke that I think would suit her._

She glares straight at me when I ask that. If looks could hurt, I'd be in pain. 

"What do you mean? Of course, I haven't. I haven't fallen for anyone. You'd know that." She protests, a little too much, and a little too fast. 

_That's sounds like a lie._

"What about when I visited you when you lived in Italy? What was that guy's name? Massimiliano? Didn't he end up confessing to you and you two started dating?" 

Yasuko shifts uncomfortably on the bed "Well, yeah. But he doesn't count. It ended badly. If I count him, then I could say that at least I've had a boyfriend - unlike you." 

That hurt, I know she is saying it as a joke, but it still hurt. "No one wants to date a wheelchair-bound person though," I say in a defeated tone. 

I feel an arm go over me as the owner of said arm lets out a sigh. "Akemi, you know Kaiya's boyfriend?" I shake my head. "Well, he's wheelchair bound." _What now?_

"After you left yesterday, Kaiya came by and, in her infinite wisdom, revealed she had given me the wrong cure for hangovers." She lets out a chuckle. "At least now I know I don't have a cold... While I was recovering, we ended up talking about Ryuunosuke." _Oh God no._ "Don't worry. I am curious about him though." 

_She wants to meet him then? That could possibly be bad. I hope she doesn't end up crossing paths with him._

Suddenly I hear my phone go off causing me to yelp in surprise. Yasuko laughs at me as I fall over trying to reach to grab my phone that's on my bedside desk. I look at it and see it's my alarm telling me that there are fifteen minutes until classes start. 

Yasuko notices which alarm it is and asks "Shall we go then?" 

I reply "Yeah, once I've made sure I have everything. Are you sure you're not going to wear your neck brace?" 

"I'm sure. You know I hate that thing." She replies patting her horned headband. I'm glad the horns are soft - at least I think they are. I hope they are. 

Yasuko passes me my bag, and I check if I have everything. Once I'm sure that I do, I start moving myself to my wheelchair, but Yasuko beats me as she lifts me into it with ease. 

"You know you don't have to do that every time," I say in slight protest. 

"Yes, I do, you're my baby cousin." 

"You're the baby here, you do remember I'm twelve days older than you right?" 

"Mentally I'm older." 

_I doubt that._

== Ryuunosuke's P.O.V == 

Several days pass by with me going swimming with Akemi in the morning followed by my daily classes. 

I wake up and notice there's no alarm sound. I take a look at my digital alarm clock next to me and see it says "08:23". 

_Seven minutes? Well, crap._

I quickly get up and out of bed. As fast as I can, I get dressed. Before I leave, I check myself to make sure I have everything I need and determine that I do. I then rush out of my room and through the dormitory doors. As I run across the grounds to the main building, I feel my left hand hit something hard. Ignoring it, I keep on running. Entering the main building I quickly arrive outside the classroom. 

I take a moment to recover my breath before knocking on the door. I wait for a few seconds but get no answer. I notice there is no sound from within the classroom. I try the door and see it's unlocked. I open it and peer in and to my surprise; it is empty. _Where is everyone?_ I enter the room to make sure there is no one in there, but as I do so, a shooting pain goes through my left hand. Using my other hand, I grab it and look at it. I notice the top of it is red and looks like a bruise is already starting to form. I guess that's what I get for not looking properly while running. 

"So, you're an early riser too," I hear an unfamiliar female voice from behind say. 

I turn to face the voice and see a girl surprisingly close to me. I step away from her more out of surprise than to gain personal space. 

The girl, unmoving, smiles as she stares at me while I stare at her. She is slightly shorter than I, and I notice three distinctive features; her shoulder length hair is black with red tips, she appears to be wearing some sort of pipe that looks like it goes from her nose towards her ears and she, uh, appears to, uh, have an ample chest. 

I'm drawn out of my study of her as she says "Now I know why she likes you." 

_Who does, and who are you?_

My confusion obviously showing on my face, this girl's smile gets bigger as she says "Not that she said that, obviously. But I can tell." 

"Who, are you?" I ask, pausing partway through my question. 

"Kaiya Ichimonji, a second year. You are Ryuunosuke Shibanuma? At least I hope you are." 

_She knows my name? And why does her last name sound familiar?_

"You know me?" I ask. 

Kaiya nods before replying. "My friend told me about you, and I've heard about you from my grandfather." 

"Your grandfather?" _Is that why I recognise the name?_ "And which friend? I've not spoken to many people here yet." 

_All but one of them have been girls if I remember, too._

A cheeky looking smile appears on her face. "As I said, a friend. I'm surprised Yasuko didn't chew her out." 

_Yasuko… Yasuko… Where did I hear that name? Akemi!_

A look of realisation appears on my face drawing a curious glance from Kaiya. 

"Your friend is Akemi, right?" I say, slightly too enthusiastically. 

Her expression changes to one of shock or surprise before it changes to a mischievous looking smile, "So she does talk about her lover." 

_What?_

I raise my eyebrows to her in surprise which earns me a laugh from her. While laughing, she tries to talk. "You… You believed that?" 

_I'm not sure how to react to that._

I look around and still don't see anyone else about so I decide to ask "Kaiya, where is everyone?" 

My question earns me a chuckle from her. "They're probably either waking up or getting breakfast. 

Her statement confirms a suspicion I had. But didn't my alarm clock say I was late? 

I look at my wrist for my watch, but I quickly discover I'm not wearing it - I must have left it on my desk in a hurry. I put my hand, which is still bruised and hurting, into my pocket for my phone but only feel air and cloth. I let out a sigh. I guess I did the same with my phone. 

Seeing me check my wrist and pocket, Kaiya says "There's about an hour until classes start." 

"One hour? I guess I can't go to the pool then." I blurt out. Judging by Kaiya's expression and the glint in her eye, I may regret that. 

"The pool you say?" _Yes, I am regretting it_ "Are you sure it's the pool you wanted to go to, or Akemi?" she asks in a teasing voice. 

"The pool of course, but Akemi is a nice friend." I reply, a big smile coming from Kaiya. 

_Hang on, how do Kaiya and Akemi know each other? They're different years._

"Hey Kaiya?" She acknowledges me with an inquisitive 'hmm' sound. "How do you know Akemi?" 

Her face stops showing any emotion as she looks straight me. 

_Is she now going to tease me some way?_

"Truthfully, I'm her lover." 

_I was right._

Obviously noticing my expression not changing, she smiles as she says "I see you learn quickly, although…" She puts her hand to her face as if thinking about something. "I wonder if you're into that sort of thing…" 

It takes me a second to realise what she's trying to insinuate, and my face drops. My expression causes her to laugh once again, but it quickly dies down as she notices my hand. "Is your hand okay?" 

I look down and see the now clear bruise on my hand is facing Kaiya. I then notice it is throbbing slightly so I grab it with my other hand and look back up to Kaiya "Yeah, I may have hit it on some pole while running here thinking I was late." 

Telling Kaiya this makes me realise something. "How come you're here if you say everyone's waking or eating?" 

She tilts her head from one side to the other as if contemplating what I asked. After a few more tilts of her head, she replies "Fair's fair, you told me, so I'll tell you." She offers a quick smile "Being a morning person and boarding at a school that has nothing to offer in early mornings gets boring, so I do daily walks. Also supposed to help my lungs, but this nasal cannula helps mainly with that." She gestures to the pipe that I now notice goes down the front of her shirt, hidden underneath. 

I nod in acknowledgement, and she pulls out a phone from her pocket. It looks different to what I'm used to as when she slides it open, it slides sideways, unlike my flip phone. She then puts the phone back into her pocket and gives me an inquisitive look. 

"Seeing as you're early, instead of late..." She pauses, I assume to see my reaction, but I give none. "...would you want to go on a walk with me? I can make sure you don't run into any poles if you want." 

_Ok- Ouch._

I suddenly feel my stomach rumble. Right, I haven't eaten yet. Judging by the look on Kaiya's face, she heard it too. "If I do join you, would we go to the cafeteria? I may have not eaten yet." 

"Of course we can, I may get something, too. I like the food there," she says before quietly adding "Even after taking part in the Iwasaki Challenge." 

"The what now?" 

Kaiya lets out a little chuckle before saying "It's a classmate's challenge. You have to try eat a sandwich they bring. I wouldn't recommend it. I tried it when I started here, but that story is for another time. Let's go." 

Kaiya is an 'interesting' person. 

As we reach the ground floor I turn my head to Kaiya who is looking forward and ask her "Could we stop by my dorm room first?" 

A look of surprise flashes across her face which is quickly replaced by smile as she turns to face me "Well, Ryuunosuke, I'm flattered, but I already have a boyfriend." 

_Wha- No._

I start trying to say that she misunderstood what I meant, but I stumble over my words. I stop when Kaiya starts laughing again. 

_Why did I not see that coming? After all, she's been teasing since she walked up behind me._

"You really are too easy, Ryuunosuke." 

I sigh as I look down to recompose myself. I look back up and say "I meant can we go there so I can get my watch and phone." 

An honest looking smile now crosses her face as she says "Yes, we can. But you'll have to lead me. To. Your. Room." 

_Oh god._

As we enter the boys' dormitory, Kaiya asks me "So when did you start here?" 

"Um, I think it's been about a week now. How did you know I was new here?" 

_Hang on, maybe Akemi told her?_

Kaiya just smiles before tapping the side of her nose and saying one word: "Secret." 

We soon make it to my room's door, and I ask her to wait outside. She agrees, but I notice her trying to peek in as I open the door. As I close the door behind myself, I hear Kaiya say something, but I don't know what. 

Once inside, I instantly spot my watch and phone on the drawers next to my bed. I grab them both, and as I put my watch on I look at the time and see there are still about forty-five minutes until homeroom starts. 

After my watch is tight on my left wrist and my phone's in my pocket, I hear Kaiya's voice and a slightly nasal, male voice coming from the other side of my door. The male voice doesn't sound happy unlike Kaiya's. It sounds like she's having fun tormenting other people too. I stop moving and try listen to what Kaiya could be saying. After a while I give up as I can understand what's being said. I then hear a door slam closed, and I take that as my cue to exit my room. Opening my door, I see Kaiya is looking down the corridor with a big smile on her face. 

"Found them" I say putting my left arm up to show my watch. 

She turns to face me "Good. Sorry, I was busy having fun with one of your neighbours, you know, the slightly weird one from 3-2? He has glasses and a Hogwarts scarf. He doesn't seem to like me, and I only made a joke about taking over the world. Forgot his name" 

"Kenji Setou." 

"That's him! He is quite interesting." 

_Despite being in same class and apparently neighbours, I haven't actually spoken to him yet. Maybe I should try change that?_

"Ready to go to the cafeteria before classes start now?" Kaiya asks. 

"Oh. Yeah." I let out a small chuckle. "Almost forgot about that." 

"That would be bad, some people wouldn't want you wasting away now would they?" 

_Some might actually…_

I push that thought out of my head as I see a girl in a wheelchair exit the auxiliary building and recognise her as Akemi. Kaiya notices me diverting my attention, and I hear her let out a soft chuckle. 

Ignoring it, I call out "Hello Akemi!" loud enough for her to hopefully hear. 

It was loud enough as she starts looking around for where my voice came from. As I get closer to her she spots Kaiya and me. As the three of us get closer to each other, I notice a look of uncertainty on her face. 

"Hey, Kaiya and R-Ryuunosuke, I m-missed you at the pool." 

"Heh, Sorry, I woke up thinking I was late for class. Clearly I wasn't, but I didn't have enough time to go to the pool." I say. 

Akemi appears to take a moment to think about what I said. "W-Will you be there t-tomorrow?" 

"I should be." I reply with a smile and some enthusiasm. 

Akemi's uncertain look changes to a smile, but it then drops when she looks at Kaiya. I look to her and see she has that mischievous smile again. 

_She seems to favour that smile._

"P-please tell me y-you didn't say a-anything, Kaiya," Akemi stutters in a pleading tone. 

I turn my head to look at Kaiya, wondering what that is about, and I notice she has a confused look. As she notices me looking, her smile returns, and she says "All I've done is tease him a little." _A little? You were teasing me with your first sentence._ "But if you continue like that Akemi, he may think other stuff." 

_What does she mean?_

I look back to Akemi to see if she knows, and it appears she does, but judging by the look on her face, wide eyed with surprise and worry, I won't be getting an answer. 

"K-Kaiya, c-can we talk?" she asks nervously. 

I look back at Kaiya, and I see the edge of her lips twitch. "Too much?" she asks. 

When I look back at Akemi, - doing this may hurt my neck at some point - she nods her head. 

"Sure," I hear Kaiya say. I decide not to turn my head this time. "Sorry, Ryuunosuke, looks like you'll have to eat on your own. Have fun." 

With that, Kaiya walks out of my field of vision to my blind left side before walking behind Akemi and grabbing her wheelchair. She then starts turning it towards their dormitory, and Akemi nervously waves and says "S-See you tomorrow morning, R-Ryuunosuke." 

_What was that about?_

I continue watching them, but then my stomach decides to painfully tell me it is hungry. I decide to follow my stomach and head to the cafeteria. 

== Akemi's P.O.V == 

"I-Is he now out of earshot?" I ask Kaiya. 

A moment passes before I get a reply. "Yes, he is near the main building now." 

"G-Good. Why were you t-talking to him anyway?" 

_Please don't tell me you told him you think I love him._

"A bit protective aren't you, Akemi? Are you trying to protect me from the guy who can use a katana, or is it that you're trying to protect him from me? Ahh! I know, you don't want your secret to get out, do you?" 

"T-There is no secret," I say flatly. 

"Shame, I was so sure that you two would make a great couple," she says in her teasing voice. 

_What?_

I'm glad Kaiya can't see my face now as I can feel it burning. 

"Anyway, you do only stutter when Yasuko or I ask you about Ryuunosuke." 

"T-that is because you two bombarded me with questions about him, and I didn't k-know the answers." 

"If you say so," she says, now in a sing song voice. 


	7. Chapter 7: Lunch Time

**Chapter 7: Lunch Time** ****

***Ryuunosuke P.O.V.***

After my interesting morning involving Kaiya and that brief encounter with her and Akemi, the morning lessons aren't as interesting. I don't think anyone in my class knows that I was initially quite early, thankfully. One of the people from my class - Lilly - was missing today, I assume because of class rep duties. As I exit the classroom for lunch I decide I will take Lilly up on her offer of joining her and her friend Hanako in the tea room. Even if I don't like the tea I'll be able to see if this Hanako is the same Hanako I've already bumped into. 

_Now, where did she say the tea room was again? I remember Lilly telling me it was near the library, but there are quite a few doors here._

Upon reaching the doors of the library, I turn so they're behind me and look up and down the corridor, trying to figure out which is the correct room. I decide to pick one of them at random. I walk over to my selected door and knock. I get no answer so I slowly try opening it. I peer inside and see it is completely empty. I am about to turn to leave, when I catch sight of a tuft of blonde hair peeking out from behind the teacher's desk. I slowly walk up and past it before looking down and seeing a blonde-haired girl sitting on the floor, playing on a pink DS. I then notice a walking stick next to her. This walking stick looks a bit thicker and differently coloured than the cane Lilly uses. Is this a weight-bearing one then? 

"Uh, hello?" I call out gently. 

Judging by her lack of reaction, this girl hasn't heard me. 

"Excuse me, are you alright?" I say a little louder. It works as the girl jumps as she turns her head in my direction and looks at me with her surprised bronze-coloured eyes. 

_Can't I meet a girl without surprising her? First Hanako in the library, then Akemi in the pool and now this girl in this classroom._

The girl doesn't seem angry at me for surprising her like this as she changes her surprised look to one with a sweet looking smile on it. She quickly looks at her DS before saving the game, closing the lid and looking at me again, still with that smile. 

"You're the new guy, right?" She asks with a soft voice. 

"Uh, yes, Ryuunosuke. Are you alright?" 

"I am now," her smile getting bigger. "I'm Saki, err, could you help me up?" she says, with a red tint in her cheeks. 

_Pretty name._

"Sure." I say. I extend my hand to her as she puts her closed DS into a bag I now see on the floor next to her. She then grabs hold of her cane and reaches out for my hand. I pull to lift her and realise she is lighter than in anticipated. Because of this, I almost send her toppling forwards after lifting her up. The reason she doesn't is because my torso is in the way. She steps back slightly before she holds onto the desk and leaning on her cane. I can see she is grimacing. 

_I wonder what she has to warrant that grimace and a cane._

"Thank you," she says, her smile returning. 

She lifts herself slightly and sits at the teacher's desk she was previously hiding behind. Then she looks to me and asks, "What are you doing in my room anyway?" Her tone is not the least bit accusatory. 

_I'm pretty sure this is a classroom?_

"Your room?" I ask with a confused tone in my voice. 

She shifts slightly as she replies "Well… not mine per se, but I was the only one in here." 

"You make it sound like you want me to leave," _I would then be able to do what my original intention was. Go to the tea room._ "I can if you want me to." 

"No, you can stay, you're cute," Her smile getting bigger as she looks straight into my working eye. 

"W-What did you say?" 

She lets out a soft giggle before saying "I thought you were in 3-2, not 3-1? I said you're cute, so you can stay" _Yep, I heard right._ "Even cuter when you blush like that." 

She moves the hand resting on the desk to my cheek. Somehow, she managed to close the gap between us without me realising. As her hand gets close, I stop it with mine. "Please don't." 

The look on her face is enough to make me regret doing so. 

"Don't you like me?" she asks, her soft voice tinged with an inquisitive tone. 

"I've just met you, and I barely know your name. How can I?" I reply. 

"Simple. Love at first sight. Surely a guy like you would fall for a beautiful girl like me?" 

My face turns sour as she says 'a guy like you'. "What is that supposed to mean?" 

"What? Don't you think I'm beautiful?" she asks, seemingly ignoring the actual point of my question. 

I suddenly notice I'm still holding Saki's hand. I blush as I let it go. Her hand drops back down onto the table. 

Letting out a sigh, I say "Yes, you are quite pretty." I see her eyes sparkle. "But why are you being so forward?" 

The sparkles disappear slightly. She says "Two bitches in my class, Akemi and Yasuko, seem to steal all the guys' attention, at least in my class. So, I'll steal the cutest guy before they get their teeth into you." 

Hearing someone swear nearly always surprises me, and I have no idea why. This time is no exception. 

"You know I swim with Akemi, right? She isn't how you are describing her. She is also my friend. Yasuko does appear to be a fun person as well." I say in a flat tone. 

"So, those bitches beat me." I hear her say quietly before an evil looking smile crosses her face for a split second. _I hope I haven't just lit a fuse… Now, how can I get out of here without lighting any more fuses?_

"Is it okay for me to go? I kind of promised a friend I would meet them, but I got lost, again." 

"Sure. I can't make you stay, can I?" she replies, her voice now tinted with anger. 

I slightly smile and gently shake my head before turning and walking to the door. As I get to it, I turn to face Saki who is watching me leave. "Bye Saki, I am sorry." 

"Bye" is all I get in return. 

I exit the room and close the door behind me before breathing a sigh of relief at being able to leave that situation. 

Saki can't have really been into me already, right? I mean, she may have been trying to toy with me in a similar way to how Kaiya did earlier. Hopefully the next door I try will either be the correct one or at least have a less awkward situation. 

Looking down the corridor, I pick another door at random, and as I stand outside it getting ready to knock, I hear a nervous voice which has a clear stutter. It doesn't sound like Akemi's so I wonder whose it could be. I knock on the door and the stuttering voice stops. I slowly open the door and look in. I pause when I see a familiar person sitting in a chair; the Hanako I bumped into in the library. I see her looking at me like a deer does in a set of headlights; I have a similar feeling. 

I'm not sure how much time passes before I hear a voice I recognise. "Hello?" 

Lilly's voice brings me out of my accidental staring contest, and I walk fully into the room and see she is also sitting at the table, looking in the direction of the door. "H-Hi Lilly." 

_If Lilly had class rep duties, then when did she finish them? Also, how long was I distracted by Saki?_

I quell these questions in my head, for now. 

"May I join you two?" I ask them both, feeling slightly awkward. _So much for avoiding awkward situations._

I see Lilly smile softly before turning to Hanako and asking "Hanako is that alright?" 

Hanako's eyes grow even bigger. I can't tell if she is thinking of an answer or has frozen; probably both. I would probably if I was in the same situation. I wonder if I'm making her uncomfortable. 

"If you want, I could come back on a more convenient day." I say as a suggestion to try help. 

"N-No. Y-You c-can join." I hear Hanako quietly stutter out. 

_Good, I could probably do with a rest after Saki._

"Thank you." I say, offering a big smile to them - mainly to Hanako as Lilly wouldn't be able to see it, unfortunately. I take the bag that I've been carrying since class from my shoulder, and as I set it down next to Lilly she asks if I would like some tea. I tell her I would like to try it. Lilly then turns to Hanako and calls her name, causing her to bolt up and look at Lilly. 

"I-I'll do I-It." She loudly says, not quite shouting. 

"Thank you, Hanako." I say as I take my seat next to Lilly. After I take the seat, I suddenly remember I didn't ask if she minded. Would be a bit late now, and if she did then surely she would say? 

"I don't think I've ever had western tea. I haven't had a hot drink for a while either," I say. 

Lilly raises her eyebrows in surprise, while Hanako quietly says "R-Really?" 

"Yeah, since my eye, I tend to stick to cold drinks rather than the coffee I used to drink." 

Hanako finishes making the tea and brings it to me. I smile at her and thank her. I see her smiling slightly. I then unzip my bag, reach into it and pull out a cold lunch. After the cafeteria this morning, I returned to my room and had decided I had time to make this. Thankfully I was right and made it to class in time. 

As I pull the lunch out my bag, I notice it has grabbed Hanako's attention. I start eating the sandwiches I made. 

After a while Hanako stutters out "T-There is a-a new g-guy in my-my class." 

So, I'm no longer the new guy? Perhaps that means Saki may go after him? Poor guy. Perhaps I should try to find and warn him? 

"Oh? What does he look like, Hanako?" I hear Lilly ask, bringing me out of my thoughts, and I see a bit of red on Hanako's cheeks. 

"H-He is a bit s-shorter than me and has m-messy, b-brown hair." Hanako replies. 

_Wow, her stutter is bad - worse than Akemi's sometimes is._

Remembering the tea Hanako made I reach for the cup. As my hand gets close to it, I move it slowly, and feel for the side of the cup before grabbing the handle and bringing the cup up. As I watch my hand do so, I notice Hanako watching me with curiosity. I take a sip of the tea. 

I put it down and say "It's sweet, but tasty. I think I may come to fully enjoy this." 

Hanako is still looking at me. 

I look at her and smile causing her to blush slightly and look away. I let out a soft chuckle before saying "You're wondering why I am so careful in reaching for the cup right?" I wait for Hanako to look back at me. "When I was learning to re-adjust to my dead eye," I indicate my left eye as I usually do when I talk about it, "part of it involved trying to judge the distance of objects due to one eye having trouble with depth perception. I still have trouble when I reach out for things. I still sometimes tip glasses over, and I'd rather not burn myself on a hot drink. Sometimes, my eye likes to betray me too." 

"That sounds like a challenge, Ryuunosuke." Lilly says, joining the one-sided conversation. 

"Heh, yep. Although, I've noticed that I have bumped into less stuff since I lost the depth perception, oddly enough." I say, looking at my hand and still seeing a faint bruise on it from this morning; this probably isn't the best example… 

"That is most likely because you are subconsciously more aware of your surroundings," Lilly says. 

"That might actually be it." 

"How are you adjusting to Yamaku anyway, Ryuunosuke?" Lilly asks. 

I look towards her and see she's facing my direction. "It is different from what I was expecting. My father told me a little and so did my aunt and uncle. I was expecting to stand out with this scar." I notice Hanako wriggle slightly. "Sorry. Turns out, I'm blending in. Heh, I started swimming with a girl from one of our year's classes. I'm not sure which one." 

"W-Who?" Hanako asks. 

"Akemi, she can swim quite well." 

I notice both Lilly and Hanako looking surprised. A slightly tense moment passes, making their reaction all the more curious. 

"Is something wrong?" 

Hanako is the first to respond with a stuttered question "H-How did y-you get on Y-Yasuko's g-good side?" 

"Yasuko's good side?" I ask, curiously. 

"Y-Yeah." 

"What do you mean?" I ask, looking at Hanako with a confused expression. 

Hanako shies away, apparently not wanting to go on. Lilly however, starts speaking. "Akemi is quite hard to make friends with, mainly due to Yasuko. She is quite protective of her - possibly over-protective." 

"Why do you think that?" I ask Lilly. 

"A few guys tried to get close to Akemi once and Yasuko scared them off, including Masahiro," she replies. 

"Y-Yasuko can b-be scary w-when it c-comes to A-Akemi," Hanako adds. 

"Yes, she can. She has even managed to scare Shizune." Lilly adds. 

"Really?" _She's managed to scare Shizune? That is very hard to do. Even her father has difficulty doing that._ Contrary to what I said to Akemi, I'm wanting less and less to meet Yasuko now. 

*** Akemi's P.O.V *** 

Yasuko pushes me into 3-4's classroom after we have had our lunch in my room, and I see Saki in her seat glaring at us with reddened eyes. I wonder what she's blaming us for this time. Last time, in our second year, she accused me of getting together with her boyfriend. That was impossible as I've never had a boyfriend, unfortunately… It is a shame we need to go past her seat as ours are two rows behind hers. 

As Yasuko pushes me past Saki, I hear her say "I see you bitches stole another guy." 

I feel my wheelchair suddenly stop, slightly jolting me. _Please don't do anything Yasuko._

As I turn my head and body to look behind me, Yasuko asks "What are you on about?" 

"You two stole 3-2's new guy." Saki spits out. _Oh no._ Yasuko turns to face me with confusion on her face. 

"So, it is true he's been stolen." 

Yasuko sighs before turning back to Saki, "Will you stop going on about us stealing guys from you. It is getting really annoying and why would we even do that? Neither of us would want your leftovers." 

I look round and see the few classmates here watching. I hear the sound of a chair scraping on the floor causing me to look back at the pair: Saki now standing but leaning on her desk, facing Yasuko. 

"Leftovers…" She angrily repeats what Yasuko just said, "Is that what you're calling them? Well, at least I've managed to have a boyfriend, unlike either of you two bitches. Perhaps you actually like being a loner. By the way, your excuse of a cousin doesn't count," she looks over to me. 

A well of anger suddenly overcomes me, "I-I'm an excuse? At least I have people who care about me and I don't try to u-use my beauty to control people!" 

I sneak a look at Yasuko and see she has a smile on her face. I guess she likes the fact that I'm standing up beside her unlike the last time. 

"Ha! You say you don't use your beauty? What about Ryuunosuke seeing you in your skin-tight suit which makes you look practically naked when you swim?" She pauses and my anger suddenly gets replaced by embarrassment, and I feel my cheeks getting warm as my mouth drops. I hadn't thought about that when swimming with him. 

An evil looking smile spreads across her face. _Oh, how I would like to punch that right off._ She continues "Yeah I know about tha-" her sentence is cut off by the sound of metal hitting the ground. I look down in the direction where the sound came from and see a pair of crutches now lying on the floor next to Yasuko. I quickly realise she knocked them over. 

Saki turns to Yasuko and still with the anger in her voice, asks "Well, will you pick them up?" 

Yasuko suddenly smirks and replies "I have no reason to, _unless_ , you apologise to me and Akemi, right now." 

Saki scoffs "Yeah, right. Like I would do that. I'd prefer to do this," she suddenly moves one of her hands and knocks Yasuko's horned headband off. _Bad mistake, Saki._ For someone who can't walk around without her crutches, she can still be surprisingly quick. Saki retracts her hand as quickly as she extended it but Yasuko manages to grab the wrist and starts pressing down on the joint with her thumb. A pained expression quickly appears on Saki's face as her other hand tries to pry Yasuko's hand off. _I knew me and Yasuko looking up pressure points would be bad…_ I notice the headband landed in front of me so I pick it up before anyone ends up standing on it and put it on my lap. 

Almost growling, Yasuko tells Saki, "That is one more thing you need to apologise for. So, do it. Now!" 

"N-No," comes Saki's reply, her hardened shell beginning to falter. 

Yasuko lets out a frustrated sigh and looks at me. I can immediately see the fire burning within her pink eyes. It is actually quite scary. There have only been three other times I've seen her like this; once with Massimiliano when she broke up with him and he said she couldn't, one time with Saki and the other with Rika. 

I suddenly see Yasuko move away from Saki and hit the desk near her causing her to fall onto it and jerk her neck backwards. Her sudden movement was as though she was pushed. As her neck jerks back, she inhales sharply. The seven people in the room all gasp in unison and my eyes widen as I call out "Are you okay, Yasuko?" 

I then realise Saki had managed to free her wrist and obviously used the distraction of Yasuko looking at me to push her. 

After a few tense seconds, Yasuko replies, her voice slow and full of malice "Yes, well, better than what Saki will be." _Please don't do anything. Please don't do anything. Please don't do anything._

Yasuko slowly sits up on the desk and rubs her neck while wincing and slowly rotating her neck as much as she can, her neck clicking every chance it can get. Saki seems to be frozen to the spot with her eyes wide. She knows she has messed up. Yasuko then looks straight at Saki before smirking. _Damn._ Before I realise what's happened, she has shot off the table and has both her hands on Saki's shoulders, thumbs pressing just under both of her collar bones. Saki's once surprised face is now full of agony. Yes, Saki may deserve stuff to happen to her for how she treats others, especially me and Yasuko, but I am regretting telling Yasuko about the body's pressure and pain points now. I notice Saki's eyes starting to tear, possibly either due to the pain, or the humiliation, maybe both. Part of me is happy at this sight, even though I know I shouldn't be. Saki's legs suddenly buckle and she collapses to the floor, Yasuko still holding onto her shoulders but now squatting. _I need to do something! Speaking her native Italian language should work, it has in the past at least._

"Yasuko! Let go!" I shout in Italian. She immediately lets go of her, followed by an audible sigh. She is still squatting in front of Saki though. I probably drew some curious glances but I don't care about that. 

"Are you ready to say sorry, Saki?" Yasuko asks, her voice sounding calmer, but still angry, "Or do you want me to find more points to pinch?" 

"I-I'm sorry." She whimpers, tears fully appearing on her face. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Yasuko says, her voice a bit or normal sounding, but now with a hint of mocking in it. My thoughts suddenly go to what Saki said about me swimming with Ryuunosuke and about my swimsuit being skin tight so I'd practically be naked. My cheeks feel suddenly warm. Why did she say that? Now I will feel awkward tomorrow. Maybe asking him directly why he's staying swimming will help me? That is if I get enough confidence though. 

I suddenly hear Yasuko's voice, which brings me back to reality. "Finally, this narcissistic bitch has apologised," Yasuko gets up and walks to me before grabbing her headband. As she's near me, even I feel slightly scared by her even though I know she would never hurt me. An apologetic look crosses her face as she whispers "Sorry," She turns and heads to the door. As she reaches the door, Mutou walks in and sees Yasuko. He tells her that class is about to start but she ignores him and leaves. Mutou watches her before scanning the room. His eyes fall onto the sobbing mess that is Saki. He stares for a few seconds before he wordlessly walks to her. 

_How can such a beautiful girl have such a rotten personality?_

*** Yasuko's P.O.V *** 

After ignoring Mutou and exiting my classroom, I ended up in my dorm room to hide from any of the teachers and to have a nap to hopefully take away the pain still lingering in my neck. The painkillers don't fully get rid of the pain, only numbing it. The main reason why I left was to hide my little breakdown. 

After the nap, I notice the happy sound of other students in the corridor and outside indicating it is now past end of lessons. Their happiness is the opposite of how I currently feel. I tilt my head slightly and look at my clock which confirms those suspicions. I get up from my bed and feel for my headband on my head. I can't feel it, and I suddenly think back to if I did remember to bring it with me when I left the classroom. I stand up to begin searching my room to see if I need to leave my room but then I remember I threw it off when I got into my room, out of frustration. I look at my mirror on my wall and see my once neat, orange-braided hair is now messy. There's no need to fix that, it's not as if I will be having any visitors in my room. Speaking of my room, I look around it for wherever my headband landed, and I see it on my dresser, undamaged. 

If classes have ended, will that mean Akemi will come to my room? Probably not seeing as she looked scared when I walked to her to grab my headband. It was actually worrying how scared she was and I think it was because of me! _Why did Saki have to start our fight over a guy, again, especially a guy Akemi seems to be getting close to?_ I let out a sigh. _I would have probably been able to remain semi-calm if she only verbally attacked me, but she instead decided to knock my headband off in front of others and attack Akemi, before violently pushing me against that table, causing me to fall on it and jerk my neck._ I rub my neck as I think that. 

_That really did hurt when she did that. Why did that two-bit hospital have to fuck up the cast when they reset my neck? Everyone kept telling them it was set wrong and unevenly, but did any of them listen? Did they hell! Now because they fucked it up, my neck is resting on top of the nerves in there which hurt every time I turn my neck just past 'slightly'._

 _I am glad Akemi bothered to learn my native Italian language, as that has always been able to bring me back to reality. I may have been born in Japan, but my parents decided to move to Italy before I could speak, so I grew up with Italian as my first language, and Japanese and English as my second and third. They decided it was best to move back to Japan after my neck got broken. Ever since this happened to my neck, I have nearly always had sleep issues. Sleep issues plus the pain may have added to my actions to Saki._

I think back a bit more to the incident and find myself smiling because Akemi stood up for me and herself. Normally she is quite shy around others - completely different from when she's with Kaiya or me. 

_More thoughts about lunch appear in my head, including ones about the guy she was saying we stole. I haven't stolen anyone called Ryuunosuke, but if I remember right and from what she said, he is the guy who is swimming with Akemi, right? From what Akemi's said, he seems to be a nice guy. It helps that he is quite a looker. I'm not surprised Saki fell for him, but how did she even talk to him? It doesn't actually matter, but I am curious. She said we stole him which means he turned whatever proposal she had down which actually makes me happy, considering how much Akemi and I hate Saki. I do need to keep my image of 'Akemi's Evil Guardian Angel' up though and pretend I think he is just after Akemi's body, like I do with all the other guys, except with those, I don't pretend to think that. I want to protect Akemi from leeches like my ex, I may go overboard sometimes, but I'm doing it for her sake. At least I hope I am. My reputation of being 'Akemi's Evil guardian Angel' is incorrect – I am no angel, as proven at lunch today._

I suddenly hear rapid, continuous knocking on my door. Marvellous. I try to ignore it, but I quickly realise the knocker isn't going to stop. I can rule out the staff as they wouldn't knock like that, and it wouldn't be Akemi either, as she would only knock a few times before waiting and then calling. I'm not sure if I can actually face Akemi yet, truthfully. 

Several more seconds pass, and the rapid knocking is still going on. I let out a sigh and decide to answer. I lethargically get up from my bed and walk slowly to my door, hoping it will stop before I get there. No such luck though. I unlock the door and open it slightly and see someone with black and red hair – Kaiya. "You know if you keep doin-" 

I'm interrupted by her pushing the door open with surprising force - which I narrowly avoid - shouting "What. The. Hell. Were you thinking?" _I've been wondering that myself, Kaiya._ I reel back from her shouting, leaving me with a ringing sensation in my ears. I possibly may be deaf. Well, there goes that random thought of whether nasal cannulas limit the loudness of your voice… 

*** Ryuunosuke's P.O.V *** 

The next morning, I walk to the pool and manage to get into the water without Akemi noticing. She is singing again, but this time, the song is in a different language. I guess she likes to sing. This one has the same melody as the English and Japanese ones I've heard her sing. 

"Hey Akemi," I say to announce myself, followed by "That song wasn't English, was it?" 

Akemi turns, slowly, this time she isn't surprised, but she has flushed cheeks. She lets out a weak smile and begins swimming over to me as effortlessly as ever. _Flushed cheeks and a smile that isn't her usual one? I wonder what's wrong._ Because of how well she swims, I sometimes easily forget she can't move part of her legs. 

She soon reaches the pool's edge, rests her arms on it and looks at me, but she is avoiding eye contact. "H-H-Hi Ryuunosuke. I-It is the s-same song," she pauses and then takes a deep breath. _Something is definitely on her mind. I'll try ask later, possibly at the end of swimming._ "T-This time I-I was singing i-in I-Italian." 

"Italian? You know three languages then?" I ask, surprised. "I barely know one language." _I did know a bit of sign language but I've forgotten most of it because I haven't used it in years._ That may be a slight exaggeration, but I get what I want, a little chuckle from Akemi. 

"F-Four," she says, her already flushed cheeks beginning to burn brighter. I look at her with an even more surprised face, "I know f-four l-languages, I can sing i-in three of them." 

"Japanese, English, Italian, that's three, so what's the fourth?" I ask her. _How does she know all these too?_

"I-It's a secret," she says, tapping her nose the same way Kaiya did. I'm sure I can see a hint of a teasing smile. _Akemi has a teasing mode? Oh dear._

"How did you manage to learn all these languages anyway?" I ask. 

"I-I was in the hospital a-after my first accident, s-so I spent the time r-recovering to i-improve my I-Italian and E-English," she tells me. 

"Ahh. Your first accident? You mean you've had more?" I ask. 

Akemi smiles, but it looks like it has a hint of sadness before saying "Y-Yeah, but I-I'll tell you after swimming. 

"Okay." _I'll try to remember to ask her later then._

We get ready to swim a few laps. Thanks to Akemi, I have greatly improved my technique – at least I feel like I have. 

Nearly an hour passes, and I see Akemi pulling herself out of the water with ease and grace - well as graceful as you can be when getting out of a pool. I am still somewhere near the middle of the pool. I am not as fast as Akemi, but I feel like I have definitely gotten faster. I swim the remaining distance while Akemi is sitting on the far edge watching, a smile on her face. When I reach her and pull myself out, I notice something off about her smile that wasn't there before. I suddenly remember her uneasiness when I first entered here, "Akemi, is there something wrong?" 

"W-What do you m-mean?" she asks. 

"When I first entered, you seemed more nervous than normal." I say. 

Akemi looks down "I-I'm sorry." _For what?_ "I-I was in an argument yesterday and s-some words g-got to me," She takes a deep breath before continuing, "There's a girl in my c-class that Yasuko and I absolutely hate. S-She started an argument and she s-said something… m-mainly about you… which e-embarrassed m-me, a-and I c-can't i-ignore i-it." 

_W-What?_ I can feel the warmth in my cheeks increase as I try to dispel certain thoughts that quickly appear in my head after she said that. My eye is betraying me though, as I look at Akemi and realise that her arms are quite muscular, I can see she has a nice figure. _I need to think of something to distract my mind before it distracts me more._

"R-Ryuunosu-suke? T-that isn't t-the r-reason you're h-here, is i-it?" she asks, clearly nervous. 

"No, well part of the reason I'm still here is because of you," her eyes widen as I say that, "It's fun being around you. It makes swimming more fun." my statement causes Akemi to blush. 

"R-Really?" 

I nod my head and smile. _I wonder if the person Akemi hates is Saki. She basically said she hates Akemi after all,_ "Yesterday, during lunch, I came across a girl called Saki, and she tried to get me to go out with her. I turned her down for various reasons, and she ended up saying she hated you and Yasuko. When I returned to class at the end of lunch, Lilly and I were told about shouting from one of the other classrooms." 

Akemi's eyes widen and a look of realisation appears on her face "S-So that's w-what set h-her off, Saki s-started an a-argument with me and Yasuko and we both got angry, Yasuko can g-get angry easily but me n-not so much." 

"Angry easily? If I do meet her, I'll try to be at my best then," I say in a joking tone. 

A giggle escapes from Akemi followed by her asking "R-Ready to s-swim again?" 

"Yes." 

After what feels like an hour, but is actually closer to half that, we swim to one of the edges of the pool, with Akemi in front of me, of course. She does her usual 'jumping' out of the pool as I reach the side. I pull myself out so I'm sitting next to Akemi on the pool's edge. Looking at her, I ask "Akemi, why do you like jumping out of the pool like that?" 

_I've been meaning to ask that question for a while now mainly to satisfy my curiosity, but I kept forgetting._

Akemi looks at me, wearing a neutral expression so I can't tell what she is thinking or if I said something wrong or not. "Ever since the accident that s-stopped my legs working p-properly, the doctors s-said stuff t-that I could no l-longer do and others which w-would be h-harder, such a s-swimming. I 'jump' out of the pool as they said that would be one thing I wouldn't be able to do. I w-wanted to prove them wrong." 

I can't help but smile at her defiance to her doctors. I would do the same with my katana, but with no apparent depth perception, it wouldn't be just my life or body in danger but those I'd be fighting against. 

"W-What's funny, Ryuunosuke?" Akemi asks in an uncertain voice. 

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I was thinking about you wanting to defy your doctors, unlike me." Akemi gives me a confused look and tilts her head. "A lack of depth perception and katanas don't mix very well." 

My explanation earns a small girlish giggle from Akemi which she tries to hide behind her hand. 

"Cute." The word escapes my mouth before I realise it, sending Akemi into a deep blush as her eyes widen. 

"Y-You know you w-were w-walking with K-Kaiya yesterday?" I nod, noticing her stutter has worsened a great deal - I assume because of me. "S-She s-said y-you didn't a-answer her question i-if it w-was this p-pool or m-me you w-wanted to go t-to." 

_I'm pretty sure I did give Kaiya an answer._

"I'm sure I told her I'm enjoying the pool _and_ the company. I may have also said that you're a nice friend." I say smiling at her, causing her to blush slightly more than before, if that were possible. 

"T-T-Thank y-you," she stutters. 

I notice her stutter got worse again with that compliment. 

"Ready to start swimming again?" I ask her. 

She shakes her head before saying "N-No, there's no time f-for more s-swimming." 

I turn my head to look at the clock above the lifeguard's office window and see there's about an hour until classes start. I'm assuming the person inside is the lifeguard as I've never actually asked about it. 

I notice Akemi is now looking down into the pool with a slightly despondent look on her face. 

"You alright Akemi?" I ask worriedly. 

"Y-Yeah, just t-thinking that for the n-next f-few days I may n-not be at the p-pool as it i-is nearly t-time for my a-attacks." 

"Attacks? What do you- oh, yeah, your epilepsy, right?" I ask, remembering half-way through. 

She nods her head slowly. "Yeah, so t-the next few d-days I may not be i-in my c-class either, depending w-when the a-attacks happen, a-and how severe i-it is." 

"Don't worry; I will try not to be lonely here, while you're away," I joke, hoping to clear that despondent look. It seems to work as she shows me a smile and chuckles. 

I suddenly remember that there has been one thing I've been wondering, so I decide to ask Akemi. "You always seem to be here before I am, and singing, so I was curious at what time you normally get here." 

"I g-get here j-just before you do. Although I-I am usually up at a-around four because of my b-bad dreams," _I can relate to that, especially with dreams I've been able to remember._

"What do you do that early then?" 

"Push m-myself around the t-track. I occasionally s-see one of my friends running there too." She pauses before staring at me. Her cheeks start to redden as she asks "R-Ryuunosuke, w-would it be p-possible t-to have y-your phone number? O-Otherwise w-we'll only b-be a-able to talk h-here." 

"Hmm, good point. I'll give you my number outside the changing room? Would be easier than now." 

"Y-Yeah, that's what I m-meant," Akemi seems to think for a moment before asking "f-from what y-you've heard, what d-do you think of Y-Yasuko?" 

"Well, just from you, she sounds kind of scary and others say she is very protective of you. I think it may be interesting to meet her." 

"T-That's putting it m-mildly. S-She's had a b-bad relationship and w-wants to protect me f-from anything l-like that. Oh yeah, a-are you d-doing anything f-for the festival t-this Sunday?" 

I shake my head "Nothing planned. Yesterday after lunch I offered to help Lilly with the stall on the day but she said I could take the day off and she wouldn't say why when I asked." 

"O-Oh. W-Would you w-want to g-go round w-with me? I n-normally go with Yasuko, b-but she will m-most likely h-have some sort o-of suspension. I haven't spoken t-to her yet." 

That last part sounded like she was talking more to herself than me. _It would be nice to see Akemi in something other than her swimsuit or that one time I saw her in the school uniform. Maybe she would wear a yukata? But what about the bow? Surely that would stick into her back when she's sitting in the wheelchair._

"Yes, I will go with you." I say with a smile earning a beaming smile from Akemi, all signs of her shyness, gone. 

I arrive at my classroom after my usual morning routine, and I find I'm not the first one here. There are a few others, including Lilly and, uh… I think his name was Masahiro? I take my seat and greet them both. 

Lilly greets me. "Good morning Ryuunosuke. Did you have a good sleep?" 

"Better than before thank you. I also had a good swim with Akemi this morning." 

"You got close to Akemi? How did you manage that with Yasuko around?" Masahiro asks me. 

"Ha, Lilly asked me the same thing yesterday. I haven't met Yasuko yet, and now that you've asked that as well, I'm not so sure that I want to," I say, my sentence ending in a dejected sounding tone. 

"Since you are already friends with Akemi, you may be lucky in terms of Yasuko," Masahiro tells me. He procures a book from his bag and starts reading it. I try to read the book's title, but all I see are Braille bumps instead of words. He suddenly looks up and asks "Did you hear about what happened in 3-4 yesterday?" 

Lilly answers Masahiro's question before I do. "Minamoto told us about it when we got back. Three of the students had an argument which turned physical between two of them, correct?" 

"Yes." 

"I heard about it this morning while swimming. Akemi told me Saki started the argument and Yasuko basically snapped and that she can have a bad temper when provoked." 

"Enomoto, huh? She and the other two have a bad history. I was surprised the teachers put them in the same class again," Masahiro says before going back to his book. 

I suddenly hear and feel my phone vibrating. Since Miyagi isn't here yet, I should be safe in looking at it. Opening my phone, I see Akemi messaged me. [Hey :). I forgot to tell you about my past. I'm sorry.] 

I start typing my reply [It's okay, I forgot to remind you anyway] 

[I don't think I was ready to talk about it. But I will be soon :)] her reply is surprisingly quick. 

I am curious but I don't want to push her into telling me if she doesn't want to, although it does seem as if she is trying to keep her word. That is good. I send her a message back [No need to hurry, have a fun afternoon.] 

Almost immediately, I get a reply from her [I will :)! Although Yasuko isn't here :(, neither is Saki :D] as I read it, I accidentally let out a slight chuckle. I close my phone before putting it back into my pocket. As I do so, Miyagi walks into the room. _That was close_

English class ends the day and as usual, the words went in one ear and out of the other. As I am about to rise, Masahiro turns to face me, "Ryuunosuke, may I ask you something?" 

"Sure," I reply, wondering what he'd want to know. 

"Not just yet though," he says, nodding his head towards Lilly, who is packing away her stuff before walking to the classroom door. 

As she exits, I turn back to Masahiro who says "I heard about you and Saki in one of the classrooms." 

_Say what?_

"You know saying that sentence like that makes it sound like something happened." 

"Oh, I know. I wanted to see how you would react. I know she tried to seduce you and that you somehow managed to resist her charms. How exactly did you do that? Even with my eyes I can see she's beautiful, save for her personality." 

"Ha. Part of the reason is because she said something bad about Akemi." 

"You like her, right? He asks me. 

"She's a friend." 

"Yes, she is nice, I used to have a crush on her," _Why am I not surprised by that?_ "I tried to get close to her, but Yasuko got in the way. She deemed me not worthy of Akemi. You seem to have gotten close to her without Yasuko's interference; I commend you for that, although you may have earned her ire for that." _Marvellous._

"Akemi told me that Yasuko had a bad relationship and she wants to protect Akemi from such a thing." I tell him. 

"That makes sense, even if she seems to be overdoing it. Apart from you, I think neither Akemi nor Yasuko have any male friends, so I would tread carefully around them." 

"Akemi invited me to the festival…" I say, trailing off at the end. 

Even from behind his sunglasses, I can see Masahiro's eyes grow bigger, and his voice rises in surprise "Really?" 

"Y-Yeah," I stutter, surprised by Masahiro's surprised reaction. "Hey Masahiro, do you know what Akemi's and Yasuko's relationship is?" 

"They are cousins. On their mother's sides, I believe. why?" is his reply. 

Not what I thought. "Really? The way I been told Yasuko acts around Akemi and how Akemi speaks of her, I thought they may have been more than friends." 

Suddenly Masahiro roars with laughter causing Miyagi, who is doing something at her desk, to jump and look at us before eventually returning to whatever she's doing. After a while, Masahiro's laughter dies down and he eventually says "Several people seem to think that but they are both straight, at least that is what Yasuko said when I asked her. Is there anything else you want to know?" 

"No, thank you." 

"If you are sure that is all there is, then have a good rest of your day," he says, with a smile before getting up from his seat and leaving. I suddenly remember Akemi's text from this morning and think to myself that since she is planning to tell me about her past, perhaps I should tell her about mine. 


	8. Chapter 8: Talk

**Chapter 8: Talk** ****

After leaving my classroom and spending the remaining hours of the afternoon in the library, I am now in the corridor leading to my room. As I approach my door, I hear and see a door near me open. I stop to greet the occupant who turns out to be Kenji. I would try pretend I'm not here but that would feel like I'm purposefully isolating him which from my own experience after losing the sight in my eye, does not feel good so I decide to announce myself "Hey Kenji."

Announcing myself to him makes him literally jump and turn around while wielding a pen like a sword. _Taking the phrase: the pen is mightier than the sword a bit far aren't you?_

"Who are you? A feminist?!" he calls out before getting really close to me to the point where I can smell his garlicky breath. What's worse is the fact I hate garlic and the smell of it so I hold my breath hoping that soon he'll step back. Thankfully after a few seconds he does. 

"You don't appear to be a feminist. Who are you?" he asks in a confrontational voice. 

I pause for a second before replying, "Ryuunosuke… We're in the same class." 

"We are? I don't really go to it. Stepping outside my shelter is dangerous because the feminists are after me because of my work to expose them." 

_You actually are in class nearly all the time though…_ "So why are you out now then?" I ask while now trying to think of a way the get away from this garlicky feminist-oppressed classmate once I remember why I didn't want to actually talk with him in the first place. 

"Even I need to get supplies for my recon mission. Say, would you want to join? You look like you've been in combat before and I'm currently short on soldiers," his tone makes it sound like he completely believes this, "too many losses to the feminists. Say if you aren't a feminist, why do you have long hair?" 

_My ponytail? He can see that?_ "Males can't wear long hair?" 

Kenji looks down either side of the corridor as if he is about to tell me a big secret of some kind. He leans even further towards me and his garlicky breath increases in potency, "They can, it is actually a good way to infiltrate the many feminist groups within this blasted school." 

_Oh god._ In a flat tone, I respond to his comment "Yes, that is why I have my hair long." 

"That… Is really smart. I applaud you," Kenji says, bowing to me. 

*** Akemi's PoV *** 

I enter my room and a thought appears in my head telling me to inspect my yukata while I still have plenty of time before the festival. _I need to look my best, and cutest, for Ryuunosuke, after all._

Putting the brakes on my wheelchair, I lean forwards and pull open one of the two drawers under my bed. I quickly spot my yukata wrapped in its paper wrap and reach for it. After unwrapping and unfolding it, I check it over to make sure there aren't any scuffs or blemishes on it, and thankfully there aren't any. I do however, spot a dark spot on the shoulder and upon closer inspection, I see a rip in the cotton. I let out sigh and place it carefully on my bed. Discovering this tear leaves me slightly upset, but it does leave me with an opportunity, an opportunity to try impress a certain swimmer. The difficult part will be my budget and getting to the city. I could ask my sister to pick me up, but she will wonder why I'd want a brand new one, and I'd end up revealing my attraction to Ryuunosuke. That alone would give me the third degree from her. Asking Yasuko would be the better option. 

I exit my room, quickly make my way to Yasuko's door and knock. I wait for a little while, but get no reply. I try the door handle and discover the door is locked. I knock and wait again. After a while, I turn away, but as I do so, I see Yasuko walking towards me, purposefully trying to not make any noise. I can tell she was going to try make me jump like she has done plenty of times before, most of the time on purpose. 

"Damn you saw me." She obviously knew what I was thinking. "Everything okay Akemi?" 

"I need a new yukata, my current one has a tear on the shoulder," I reply. Then I signal for Yasuko to follow me into my room. She does, and I point to the yukata. She walks to it and examines the shoulder. 

"Hmm, it can easily be repaired Akemi, as you probably know. So, why do you want a new one instead?" 

I try my best to look innocent, and possibly I have a bit of my puppy dog eyes showing "But I like the feel of new ones." 

"Uh huh… What's the actual reason?" Yasuko replies, my eyes clearly having no effect. I then remember Yasuko is immune to my puppy dog eyes, so now she definitely knows there's another reason. 

"I-I may want to i-impress s-someone." 

"That someone wouldn't be Ryuunosuke, would it?" she asks, with a smile appearing on her face. 

"M-Maybe," I say looking down. 

I see Yasuko's hand appear in front of me as she lifts my head up to face hers. "I can take you to go get one, but I will need to go to my room and grab some stuff and call my parents first and see if it is okay to buy a new one. It should be okay." 

Surprised at how willing she is to help me, especially with the cost of a new yukata, I tell her "A-After we have bought one. W-We can go eat in the city." 

"Le Petite Canard?" she instantly asks. 

I nod my head. "Yes, I-I'll pay for it." 

*** Ryuunosuke's PoV *** 

Suddenly waking up, I immediately notice it is still dark. I grab my phone from the bed stand and look at the time. It is only midnight. _This is going to be a long night._

I think back to the very odd dream I just had. It involved nearly everyone I've met here so far. For some reason I had decided to help Kenji infiltrate the girls' dormitory and steal some documents from Shizune's room. The documents turned out to be seating plan arrangements of all things. In the dream Masahiro was helping us and had laser eye vision. I'm not quite sure why I didn't realise it wasn't reality at that point. As we escaped, Misha turned out to be the alarm, literally using her voice as the alarm. We ended up fighting against Miki, Kaiya, Shizune and even Lilly. Kenji told me Shizune was only second in charge and that he didn't know who the first was. I soon found out who was - Akemi. I let out a sigh as I try to wash the dream away from my thoughts but I quickly realise I am now wide awake, so I decide to go for a night's walk like I did on either my first or second day here. 

I walk around for what feels like only a few minutes, and I end up walking past the running track. As I draw near the bleachers here, I start to overhear two female voices, one sounding familiar but I can't place it. Curious to hear what they're talking about, I slow my pace and quietly walk towards them, hoping they don't see or hear me. I stop in a dark spot and listen. I hear one of them saying some words including '"if you use a whole bunch of needles and point them to the body at the correct points, it works really well.' I try to figure out what they are talking about but due to the dream which woke me, I can't help but think they may be feminists. I then hear one of the girls say the word 'acupuncture' and I let out a quiet sigh, glad that my thoughts were wrong. Even that brief meeting with Kenji was apparently enough to mess with my usual unfriendly dreams. I decide it is probably best I go back to my room and hope neither of those two people heard me. 

_I'm standing in the middle of a large area, and I have no idea where I am. I look around and see Kenji arguing with the Grim Reaper from my dreams. How and why are they arguing? I manage to catch part of what they are arguing about. The Grim is apparently unhappy that Kenji is messing with his plans or me, and Kenji is saying something about protecting me from the feminists including the Grim. I hear the ethereal sigh of the Grim as he puts his hands up and suddenly Kenji is blasted backwards into the darkness. The grim turns to me before emitting a low growl that echoes across this empty void as he swipes his scythe, and it comes flying towards me, and I am unable to move. As the scythe comes within centimetres of me, my vision turns black._

I wake to the sound of my morning alarm. Last night was odd, and I hope tomorrow night I'll sleep better. I get out of bed and try but fail to stifle a yawn before doing my usual morning routine, including wiping the blood from my eye that has seeped out. After completing the routine, I exit my room and head to the swimming pool. As usual, I am the only one outside at this time. It appears this is the time where most of Yamaku is asleep - minus Akemi, myself and some staff. 

My mind wanders to the two girls I saw on the bleachers and I wonder if they're still there… _Yeah, as if…_. As I reach the lifeguard office, I see the lifeguard looks like she busy with some work. _Why would they be busy with work at this time of the morning?_ I notice there is no singing today, making me wonder if Akemi is in the pool. 

Entering the pool room, I am greeted with the slight smell of the chlorinated water and the sound of Akemi greeting me. I look to her and see she is at the deep end of the pool. I smile and greet her back before walking to her where I sit on the pool's edge and dipping my legs into it. 

"A-Are you a-alright, Ryuunosuke?" Akemi asks me. 

I look at her, and she looks concerned. "I'm good, had an odd dream which woke me though." Out of curiosity, I add "why are you asking anyway?" 

"Y-Your eyes l-look tired," she replies. _They do? That explains the slight aching I have been feeling from them._

"What was y-your odd dream?" she asks, tilting her head, her purple eyes showing a sparkle of interest. 

I let out an odd awkward laugh as I remember the dream. "I'm not entirely sure why I had the dream, but you were in it." 

Akemi's eyes go wide as she stutters out "M-Me? W-Why w-would you dream a-about m-me?" 

_I should have expected that reaction I guess._

"You weren't the only one in it. The dream involved two classmates of mine, Kenji and Masahiro," I notice Akemi's eyes widen and her mouth mumbles something I am unable to hear, but I continue on. "In the dream, the three of us took on a feminist conspiracy inside the female dormitory. Masahiro's and Kenji's task was to take on the females who opposed us while I was tasked with finding certain documents. Kenji also tasked me with killing the head of the conspiracy." 

"Shizune?" is all Akemi asks. _Does she know something?_

I shake my head and say "No, she was second in command." 

"T-Then who?" she asks with a curious tone in her voice. 

I let out a little laugh before replying "You." As I expected her eyes widen again. 

"M-Me? B-But I-I'm no leader," she says quickly, while stuttering and looking down into the depths of the pool. 

"You were in the dream, but as I pointed the gun I got from somewhere, no idea where, I couldn't do it. You sat behind a teacher's desk, and then you stood up and pointed your finger at me and fired which killed me." I let out a chuckle at the ridiculousness of the dream. 

"M-My finger? You… didn't w-want to shoot me?" 

I smile and shake my head "No. I guess on some level I knew it wasn't real so my brain didn't want me to hurt my friends." 

As I finish my explanation, I notice Akemi starting to blush. _Is it me, or is she starting to blush a lot more around me?"_

"I-It couldn't have b-been me who s-shot you though. Y-You said I s-stood up b-but yet I c-can't," _She looks slightly sad. Dang._ "It was p-probably my twin." 

"Twin? Is this the sister you mentioned before?" Akemi looks back at me and nods her head. "I didn't realise she was a twin." 

"T-There's a lot y-you don't k-know about me, R-Ryuunosuke." I'm pretty sure I just spotted what looked like a sultry look from her. I could be wrong however. 

With that statement, I decide to try press further. "Like what exactly, Akemi?" 

Akemi's expression changes to one of realisation, and she quickly says "N-nothing. P-perhaps we s-should start s-swimming." 

I chuckle at Akemi's quick change of topic, although I do wonder what she was referring to before. I see her smile, and I get ready to slide into the pool. I take a deep breath but feel my chest tighten. I assume Akemi noticed my expression as she asks if I am okay. I look at her and see her concerned look. 

"I'm good. These fourteen-year-old scars on my chest aren't fond of stretching," I explain. I slide into the pool and then remember it is cold. Once I resurface, I grab hold of the edge and notice Akemi's smile returned. It is a shame the pool's temperature isn't set to be higher than what it is now. 

I look at Akemi who still has a look of concern on her face. "Don't worry Akemi, I'm okay. Now, didn't you want to swim?" 

I start swimming and look back to see Akemi following me. She increases her speed and soon reaches me and swims at the same pace as me. She smiles at me and suddenly goes under the water. I stop and look for Akemi who, to my relief, is still swimming. I watch her shimmering shape swim under the water. The way her legs, arms and hair move remind me of mermaids. I wonder how much time Akemi would spend underwater if she could breathe underwater. _Probably all of it if she could, actually._

I can't help but let out a little chuckle at that thought. As I do, I accidentally breathe in a bit of the water and end up coughing. I am able to keep swimming though. Maybe that is the sort of thing Kaiya has to live with, but permanently? 

As we are swimming the last lap before our break, my mind starts to think back, and it is only just now I realise Akemi's stutter while, encouraging me, had seemingly disappeared, only rarely rearing its head. Several times during the swim, she swam close to me and even bumped into me purposefully. _Akemi doesn't appear as timid as when I first appeared in this pool, then again, I did accidentally ambush her._ We reach the end of the final lap, and I look up to see Akemi ahead of me. 

I watch as Akemi does her usual unusual jump out of the pool. I decide to try do the same. As I approach the edge, I duck under the water and swim to the bottom. Once I'm there, I push off from the floor with my feet and quickly break the surface. As I break the surface, I reach out for the edge of the pool with my hands and I use the momentum of my arms pulling then pushing me plus my body movement to get out of the water. I get high enough to get my foot onto the edge but as I power down on it, the foot slips and my shin hits the corner sending a shock wave of pain through my leg. I winch and cry out and when my eyes reopen, I see the ground approaching, too fast to stop myself. I find myself internally swearing multiple times. 

I close my eye and brace myself. I suddenly see white and the pain in my shin disappears and the expected pain from my head making contact doesn't appear. Within the whiteness, I see a pair of beautiful purple eyes, the same ones I've been seeing every time I've been to the pool. As I see them, I hear Akemi's echoing voice calling my name. 

As the whiteness fades away, I hear "-Suke! Ryuunosuke!" from Akemi. I quickly open my eyes and let out a groan as I see Akemi above me with a worried look on her face and what looks like tears in the corner of her eyes. 

"I don't think I will try that again any time soon." 

That earns me a cute chuckle from Akemi, and her face relaxes, thankfully. "Y-You s-scared me. P-Please don't d-do t-that again." 

"I'll try not to." I then realise there is something on my chest so I put my hand on top of it and feel something soft, smooth, warm and damp. I lift my head and look down at my chest to see my hand atop Akemi's. I freeze as I'm not fond of people touching the scars on my chest even if they do feel nice. The feel of her hand under mine reminds me of Shiori's. I look at Akemi who has gone bright red, and I feel her retract her hand quickly. After she does, I notice a slight throbbing in my head and pain from my shin. "What happened?" 

Akemi replies "Y-You tried t-to do my t-trick, except y-you used your l-legs and slipped and h-hit your head on the f-floor. A-Are you o-okay?" 

I sit up and reply "Yeah, I'm good, except where I hit my head and shin," Akemi looks to my shin and frowns. I look and see a bright red mark. I look back at Akemi and ask "Not that I'm complaining, but why didn't the lifeguard appear?" 

I see Akemi look up from me and at something on my left. As I turn my head, I hear another female voice say "The lifeguard has appeared Ryuunosuke. Can you sit up?" 

I nod my head and do so. She quickly examines me, mainly my head and shin. She tells me that I have a red mark on my forehead and a deep red one on my shin. After that, she asks me if I am able to stand. As I stand up, I feel pain in my shin which I try hide. Once I'm fully stood up, I look at the lifeguard and tell her "I can stand up." 

She looks at me for several seconds before saying "You don't appear to be injured apart from those two red marks. Go to the nurse's office later to make sure though, okay?" 

I nod my head in reply. She smiles at me before walking back to her office. As I watch her walk off, I sit back down on the floor with my legs in the water. Akemi looks over to me and says "Y-Your shin does h-hurt, doesn't it?" 

_Huh, Akemi's quite observant._ "Yes." I let out a sigh. "Should we call it a morning? 

She smiles and shakes her head, "T-There's no need i-if you can still s-swim." 

"If you say so." I smile, and she nods her head and makes a noise of confirmation. "How come you love swimming so much, Akemi?" 

A flash of confusion flickers across her face before she answers "One r-reason is because i-it gives me f-freedom t-to move. On land, I'm r-restricted to relying o-on my wheelchair o-or others, but i-in water, t-that doesn't apply. I s-swam before my a-accidents. I swam a-and continue t-to swim after them. T-The pool is w-where I c-can almost act l-like an a-average person. Heh, sorry, I m-may have gone o-overboard then." 

I instinctively say, "You are an average person though." 

My statement draws a bemused expression from Akemi as she cocks her head. 

"Err, that sounded so much better in my head. I don't know how, but it was meant to be a compliment, I guess." 

My explanation earns a cute smile from her followed by her saying "Thank you." She then slides into the pool, and I do the same once I've checked my shin is okay enough. 

* Akemi's PoV * 

After returning to the girls' dormitory, I wheel myself straight to Yasuko's room. Ryuunosuke was gracious enough to walk alongside me to the exterior of the building where we parted ways. That is one of the things I like about him, he cares about others. I just hope he remembers to care about himself, too, though. Seeing him slip and injure himself like that worried me quite a bit. 

I get to Yasuko's door and knock before waiting. I hear her call out "It's unlocked. "As I enter she is sitting on her bed, phone in hand and already in her uniform. 

"You're earlier than normal. Did you get bored of Ryuunosuke already?" Yasuko teases me before adding "Hmm, you haven't changed, normally you're changed and in here before I have fully woken up." 

"T-That's because you are still a-asleep until I knock on your d-door." 

"Semantics," she waves my comment away with her hand and continues "Why are you here earlier than normal?" Yasuko asks, an inquisitive look on her face. 

"I can smell an odd smell," I say slowly. 

Yasuko quickly replies "It wasn't me. I haven't drunk for a week." 

_You must be thirsty, heh._ I chuckle before saying "I'm glad. I'd hate to think the s-smell of fuel came f-from you," My statement causes Yasuko's face to drop. 

Yasuko then immediately asks me "When did you first start smelling the fuel?" 

"While I was swimming with R-Ryuunosuke, we were resting, and I s-started to smell it." 

"What do you want to do? Go to class or take a day off?" Yasuko asks in a worried voice. 

"A-although I don't want too, i-it would be better to stay h-here than scare half o-our class," I let out a little self-deprecating chuckle after I say that. 

"Oh yes, I had almost forgotten you actually enjoy school, don't you?" 

"Heh, so would you i-if you paid attention," I rebuke her, making her smile. 

I watch as Yasuko stands up and starts taking off her uniform. "What are y-you doing?" 

Yasuko pauses and looks straight at me before saying in a matter-of-fact tone "I'm stripping. What do you think I'm doing? If I'm not going to class either, I may as well wear something a bit more comfortable, right?" _Like your neck brace, perhaps?_ Yasuko resumes her current task. 

"Why are you c-changing in front of me though?" 

Now in her underwear, she asks "What's the problem?" A smile appears across her face. "Are you jealous of my bust size?" 

I narrow my eyes at her statement, I think Yasuko may need glasses "J-Jealous of what? Mine are bigger than yours." 

Yasuko makes a pouting expression which would probably fool most people but because I've known her nearly all our lives, I can tell she's pretending to be hurt. "You know how to hit a girl where it hurts, Akemi." 

I say and do nothing, and eventually Yasuko relents and asks, "Why were you actually bothered about me changing in front of you? When you're in your swimsuit, it clings to your skin and may accentuate certain features." I feel myself blush as she says that and I then immediately think back to the argument with Saki. "Akemi, do you still use your one piece or your two piece?" 

"M-My one piece?" I reply, curious as to why she's asking. 

"So that means Ryuunosuke hasn't seen the scars on your chest yet, right?" I shake my head "Are you going to continue hiding the scars you got from the crash from him or will you start wearing your two piece and show him?" 

When Yasuko mentions the crash, I feel the air go cold around me. I suddenly find myself in my mum's car with her driving. I look ahead and see a truck heading straight towards us, and I hear the sound of a car horn and tyres skidding. I tell myself that this can't be a real memory as I wasn't even conscious when my mum crashed. I find myself uttering the words "I'm sorry, mum." 

I suddenly get a shaking sensation and quickly realise Yasuko is gently shaking me. I look at her, and she has a look of concern across her face. She asks me "Are you okay? You're as white as an albino." 

I look around, and to my relief we are still in Yasuko's room. That was definitely a nightmare or hallucination. A nightmarish hallucination? What I saw is based on what people told me happened when my mum died and dozens of others were injured. I reach out for Yasuko and pull her into a hug. I don't care if she is still only in her underwear. Even without being able to see her face, I can tell Yasuko is surprised at my sudden movement. She then returns the hug a second later. While hugging her, I reply "yes, but I saw my mum die in my head." 

I hear and feel Yasuko let out a sigh of relief, "I thought you were having a seizure." _I don't think I had one. I wouldn't even know if I did. I haven't had one of those in years._ I hear her take a sharp breath as she realises something. "You saw her because I mentioned the crash, didn't you?" I nod my head while it's next to Yasuko's. "I'm sorry." 

I feel like I need to change the topic. Before Yasuko mentioned the crash, she was talking about Ryuunosuke and my chest scars if I remember right. 

I release Yasuko from my hug and fall back into my wheelchair. Looking at her, I say "E-Even if I did wear my two-piece s-swimsuit, R-Ryuunosuke wouldn't b-be able to s-see one of the s-scars as i-it leads under my breast." 

Yasuko's upset look turns into one of smiling as she slightly cocks her head. _Any more cocking and she'd be in pain._ "Who knows, maybe one day, he will," she then winks. 

I feel myself blush and reply meekly "I doubt that." After finding the internal volume control for my voice I ask "w-why are you acting l-like you want me to get w-with Ryuunosuke? N-Normally you try scare o-off all the guys f-from either of us." 

"Despite what people think of me, maybe including you, I'm not against all guys, just the shitty ones. I feel he may be one of the few good ones." She pauses for a moment as though thinking. "Then again, I thought that was true about my ex, and he turned out to be a manipulative arsehole. I get a different feeling from Ryuunosuke, actually." Her voice goes quieter, and I barely hear her say "Hmm, maybe my assumption about Masahiro may have been wrong too." 

_Yasuko is having a change of heart? About a guy? Maybe this is my chance to tease her."_

"S-Sounds like you're developing f-feelings for a person y-you said wasn't good enough for me." Yasuko's mouth opens but no words come out. I find myself giggling at her. "When are you g-going to put 'more comfortable clothes' on?" 

Yasuko looks down at herself and simply says "Oh." She then looks in her drawers and puts on some of her everyday clothes. She turns to me and says "If you stay in here, I can get breakfast for the both of us, well second one for you." 

I smile at her and say "I will, and thank you. I will g-go to my room and get some s-stuff to help pass the n-next few hours. A-Actually, don't you s-still have your o-on campus suspension still?" 

Yasuko's smile disappears and says "Fuck, I forgot. Also, because of it, I can't go to the festival." She ties her hair into a ponytail before continuing. "I guess I'll need to change again once I've brought our breakfast. I should be back within a few minutes, depending on the queue." 

* Ryuunosuke's PoV * 

"Now what can any of you tell me about the temperature measurement, Kelvin?" Mutou asks the class. I can't remember much about Kelvin, even though I do remember doing it at my last school. I think zero degrees Kelvin is two hundred and seventy-four degrees Celsius, I think. 

I hear the sound of movement beside me and turn my head to see Masahiro stand up. "Kelvin was named after William Lord Kelvin and it uses the Celsius temperature scale but zero Kelvin, or Absolute Zero, starts at a different point to zero degrees Celsius. Zero Kelvin is minus two hundred and seventy-three point one five degrees Celsius or in Fahrenheit, for those that use it, it is minus four hundred and fifty-nine point six seven." 

_Wow, now I can see why we do well when he, Lilly and I are in a group. I wonder how smart he actually is._

"Well done Furude. Now, what about Absolute Zero?" 

"Absolute Zero is the point where matter particles are hardly moving. Most people tend to think Absolute Zero means the particles are completely frozen in motion, however, this is incorrect." 

I look at Mutou and see him smile, obviously proud that one of his students knows the answers. "Correct again, Furude. You may sit. Now, many people have heard of Absolute Zero, whichever connotations you have of it, but not many appear to know of-" Mutou's words are drowned out by the sound of the bell signalling the end of class. As everyone stands to pack up, Mutou says "Next lesson we will be covering more on the thermodynamic laws." 

As I start packing my stuff away, Lilly asks "Ryuunosuke, are you still here?" 

I look to her and nod before realising the futility. "Yes, I am, Lilly. Is there something you need?" 

"Would it be possible for you to go to the tea room and tell Hanako that it is highly likely that I won't be able to attend please? Shizune wants to meet me immediately at the start of lunch." 

_Can't she call, or text?_ "I need to go to the library to complete some work but I can go into the tea room and tell her, but can't you call or text her?" I respond. 

"That is good enough, thank you, Ryuunosuke. I would tell her myself, but my phone ran out of charge during the night," she replies, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. _Heh, I've done that a few times when I tried to charge my phone from a dodgy charge cable and forgot until the night later._

After Lilly has packed her stuff into her bag, she turns to my general direction and asks "You do remember where the tea room is, correct?" 

Nearly nodding before stopping myself, I reply "Yeah, a few doors down from the library. _I hope I don't accidentally get the wrong door and come face to face with Saki again._

Lilly smiles. "Good. I'll see you after lunch then, possibly before. Bye Ryuunosuke, Masahiro." 

I say goodbye and hear Masahiro do that same. As she leaves, I turn to Masahiro and ask him "Are you going to the festival in a few days?" 

He grimaces and replies "Unfortunately not. My sister and I have to go to my parents in Sunagomata on Saturday, and I'll be returning late Sunday. I wish I could, though. I enjoy the festivals here. 

After having left my classroom, I reach the floor that contains the tea room and the Library – my two destinations for this lunch. The floor also contains another room, one I do now want to enter in case Saki's there again. 

I head to the room I believe is the tea room and enter. I look in and let out a sigh of relief as I see not a Saki, but a Hanako. She looks to the opened door and she clearly freezes like a deer in headlights. 

"Err, hi Hanako. Lilly asked me to come by and tell you that she may not be able come by. I think she said she had to do something for Shizune." 

Hanako replies with a strained "O-Okay. T-Thank you." 

I smile and leave the room, closing the door behind myself. I look to my next destination – the library. As I walk I think to myself that it is a shame Hanako is so shy. If I knew how to, I would try help her. 


	9. Chapter 9: Epilepsy

**Chapter 9: Epilepsy**

Afternoon lessons finish, and when I exit my classroom I almost bump into an oblivious Miki. "Hi Miki." 

For some reason the greeting makes her jump, and she cries out "Ryuunosuke? God, you nearly made me have a heart attack." As she says that, I notice one of the other students - a brown-haired boy - looking to Miki. 

"What did you want? I haven't seen you for a while," Miki asks, and I look back at her. 

I rub the back of my neck. "I've been busy. Actually, it's lucky we bumped into each other." 

My statement causes Miki to tilt her head and look at me confusedly before simply asking in a curious tone "Why?" 

"I was thinking of asking you if you wanted to go somewhere. As a thanks for helping me get orientated in this school." 

Miki bites her lower lip and looks at me as though thinking. After a few seconds, she answers "Okay. I can skip practice for today." 

I smile. "Great. We could meet by the school gates in an hour if you want?" 

"Okay. See you then." Miki smiles and starts walking off. 

_I wonder if Akemi would want anything while I'm in town?_ I pull my phone out of my pocket. 

[Hey Akemi, I'm going to town, anything you want?] After pressing send I start walking. Halfway down the stairs, my phone tells me I got a message. I carry on until I reach the next floor and read her text. 

[Hi Ryuunosuke. I'm good. Don't need anything. Thanks. I may not be swimming tomorrow by the way.] Reading the last part makes me curious. 

[How come? Everything alright?] 

A few seconds pass before I get Akemi's next reply. [Have seizure warning] 

Reading that text makes me slightly disappointed. Akemi won't be in the pool tomorrow because she might have a seizure then? I didn't even know you could get pre-warnings. I hope her seizures aren't too bad. 

I have just under an hour to get ready to go into town with Miki, but that won't take long, so I have plenty of time. I could look up epilepsy, especially the seizure part. I remember Akemi telling me what I should do if she had one in the pool, but I have forgotten some parts. If I do look up epilepsy, I could find out Akemi's trigger. That would be nice to know. It is also a good idea as I'll end up reading more about it and maybe understanding it. 

*** Akemi's PoV *** 

_What is this random programme that's on television?_ I turn my head to face Yasuko and ask her to see if she knows. 

She replies "I'm… not sure, but I remember seeing this last week. The main girl is at some school called Eitoku High School which is apparently a school for the rich, but the main girl is poor. I think I have the manga this is based on, in my room somewhere." 

I watch, and there is something about the intro tune that sounds familiar. I got it! "Yasuko? Doesn't the intro tune sound a bit like the tune from Harry Potter?" 

"Huh? It does? I still haven't finished reading the second book so I haven't seen any of the films yet." 

"Oh," is all I reply. 

As we watch more of the programme, I can't help but laugh at the reactions when the main character's friend gets a red notice. Apparently when a person gets a 'red notice' it turns the whole school against said person. I am glad a thing like that doesn't exist in Yamaku. If it did, I'm pretty sure the teachers would stop it in its tracks immediately. When I think of that, it makes me realise how different we really are from the rest of Japan. As more of the programme plays, I notice there is quite a bit of bullying, and all the girls in it - minus the main character of course - are fawning over four guys. I hate both those things. The bullying reminds me of Saki's attitude towards me and Yasuko. The fawning also reminds me of Saki as guys seem to want her. Yes, she is beautiful, but she has a bitchy attitude. I am glad Ryuunosuke wasn't swung by her beauty. If she wasn't bitchy, I am pretty sure I would have lost even before I started. I feel a smile on my lips because of that little victory. _What am I even thinking?_

I think to myself that I am glad no one can hear or see what I'm thinking. I look round at Yasuko and see a slightly upset expression on her face. _I wonder what's causing that. It can't be what's happening on the TV show as the main female character just punched one of the F4._

Yasuko suddenly says "You know, Akemi, you did my braid tighter than normal." 

_That can't be what's on her mind._ "I-I did that because you normally want it loose so I'd thought I'd change it. Don't you like it?" I ask, naturally cocking my head to the side. 

"No, it's not that. It just feels… odd," she replies, a confused look adorning her face while she's still looking at the TV and playing with her braid. 

A few minutes pass, and Yasuko suddenly asks "So… What are you going to do about Ryuunosuke?" 

"W-What do y-you mean?" I reply defensively, being caught off guard. 

A smile creeps on her face as she turns her body to face me. _Damn this girl and her willingness to exploit my weaknesses._ "When Kaiya and I teased you when he swam with you the first time, we were doing it for fun and for your reaction. Neither of us believed you actually liked him that way." _I'm sure you did, Yasuko._ "That is, until I noticed how much you looked at him when he passed by. You also smile more, now that he swims with you regularly." 

I feel a smile tugging at my lips, and I allow it to form. I never realised how lonely the pool was until Ryuunosuke arrived. I remember the way he swam when he came by the first time almost made me laugh aloud. That would have been bad taste though, plus If I did, he might not have come back again. He seemed shy about the scars on his chest. The area around the faded scars is a slightly different tone compared to the rest of his body. His scars intrigue me as I wonder how he got them. I know how I got the three scars on my chest – the crash that I caused that killed my mum and caused a bit of the truck that we ran into to pierce the right side of my chest, leading to the scar that leads under my right breast. 

I can now feel an odd sensation in my legs. 

_Why?_

I shouldn't be able to feel anything below my knees. 

Yasuko suddenly lets out a yelp and she asks why I hit her. _I did?_ I tell her that I didn't. _I don't think I did, at least._ Yasuko tells me again that I did. Her voice then goes to one of concern, I think its concern. She tells me my fingers are twitching. 

I suddenly realise what's happening. 

_Crap._

I try to move my head, and with what feels like I am using all of my energy, it moves, and I look down to see she is right. I feel my mouth suddenly twitch quickly followed by my arm. That is followed by Yasuko yelping again. 

_I'm sorry, Yasuko!_ Where's my voice? That sound that came out my mouth was very odd, and it wasn't my voice. I see my vision starting to go hazy quickly, manage to find my voice and whimper out the word "Nurse." 

I don't know what language that was in; I just hope it's one Yasuko knows. 

Darkness engulfs me. 

*** Yasuko's PoV *** 

Akemi catches my face again with her hand, and it hurts, but there is a more important matter at hand as I watch Akemi start seizing. I know what to do. I look round and see Noa, one of my classmates, nearby, I shout "Hotogi, get the nurse!" 

She looks at me, cocking her head and asks "Why?" 

"Just get him, quickly!" 

Noa looks, and I think she sees Akemi because she then runs out of the room. I look back at Akemi who is starting to slide out of her wheelchair as her arms start twitching. This happens right before they start flailing everywhere. I rush round her but she manages to hit me in the ribs causing me to take a sharp breath. I ignore it and carry on until I'm at Akemi's head and push her wheelchair away so I can get behind her. I hold onto her head and allow my arms to flow with her twitching head movements. I'd rather my hands get bruised and injured than her head. Several times that happens, mainly when her head comes close to one of the sofa's legs. _Why does the sofa have to be so heavy?_ I look up as much as I can, and from my crouched position, I see and hear her arms hit stuff such as the legs of another sofa and a coffee table nearby. _I hope they'll only cause bruises._ I start to notice her seizing is starting to slow down, thankfully. I'm not sure if my hands could take much more. 

I let go of her head once I'm sure she has completely stopped, then I sit on the floor and let out a breath I didn't realise I've been holding. I flex my fingers and wrists to make sure they are still working fine - they still are, if a bit sore. I hear three sets of rushed footsteps, and I turn my torso to see Noa followed by the head nurse and one of the other ones. 

"Yasuda, what happened?" The head nurse asks, as he and the other nurse check on Akemi. 

Looking at the head nurse, I reply "Akemi had a bad seizure, worse than normal. She has just stopped." 

As I speak, the pair lift her up, and I do my little part as I reach for the castor leg of Akemi's wheelchair and strain as I move it closer to the pair, regretting that I had moved it so far when cushioning Akemi's head. Speaking of that, my fingers still ache, it may be pain, I'm not actually sure... The time it took for me to think my thoughts is enough for the nurses to lift Akemi from the floor back into her wheelchair. "Will she be okay?" 

The head nurse turns to me and replies "Physically she looks okay. Depending how long she takes to awaken will determine the next course of action. We will take her to the infirmary for observation though." 

I nod in acknowledgement, my energy suddenly disappearing, out of relief, I hope. 

I watch as the two nurses wheel Akemi out of the dormitory. Once they're gone, I look around and see Noa standing, watching, with her arms folded looking at me. 

"Are you okay, Yasuda?" 

_Am I? Am I okay?_ "Yes, I am, Hotogi." I try lift myself up, using the arm of the sofa for help, and my energy slowly returns. _I think I have earned a rest, so I'll go to my room. Maybe have some alcohol I have hidden away._

I arrive in my room and decide not to have any of my stash, but instead, have a rest. I take off my headband and put it on top my dresser before falling onto my bed. My… very… comfy… bed. _If I just rest here, maybe I will fall asleep, and when I wake Akemi will be back to normal. And hopefully my fingers will have stopped aching._

I suddenly realise I have a pain on the right side of my ribs that pulsates in time with my heart rate. I put my hand to the area and as my hand touches it, I feel it stinging. I try to think wh- The seizure! I suddenly remember that during Akemi's seizure, she caught me in the ribs. _God, I hope she didn't break them. Hopefully only bruised._ I decide it is best to go to the nurse. _I wonder if Akemi is okay._ I probably worry about her way more than I need to. She is a strong girl after all. She can still be happy even after losing so much; her legs from her seizure, her dad - it nearly destroyed her when she was told he died - and the same when her mum died. 

I sit up from my lying position, and as I do so, the pain in my ribs intensifies. _Yep, I need to go to the nurse._

Arriving outside the head nurse's door, I knock and wait. I quickly hear a muffled reply telling me to wait a moment. I look round and immediately spy a seat close to the door. As I sit, my ribs scream at me. After what feels like a long time, I hear the door open. I stand up and immediately regret it partially because of my ribs and partially because of the light headedness I feel. I let out a small pained sound as I close my eyes. 

"Are… Are you okay?" I hear a sweet female voice from my right ask me cautiously. 

_I'm outside the nurse's office with my eyes closed after making a pained sound. Do I really sound okay?_ I sarcastically reply "Do I look okay?" 

I hear the girl giggle slightly before saying "No, not really. I wanted to be polite." 

Opening my eyes, I see the girl who has been speaking. She is shorter than I am and has short jet-black hair and very bright blue eyes. Something about her seems familiar. Upon closer examination, I see she is wearing some sort of wrist support, and she is leaning on a crutch while she favours a leg. 

"Oh! I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself yet. Even though my brother keeps reminding me to, especially around new people. My name is Wakana Furude but please call me Wakana." 

_Furude? Masahiro?_

"I'm Yasuko Yasuda, call me Yasuko. Wakana, you don't-" I suddenly let out a hiss and close my eyes as my ribs send a shock of pain through me. "You don't know a Masahiro, do you?" 

She nods her head and replies happily "Yes I do. He's my older brother. So, you're the Yasuko he's talked about. Any idea who the Sakurai he has also talked about is?" 

"That's my cousin." I notice the colour of the ribbon she's wearing on her school clothes. "The three of us are in the year above you." 

A look of realisation adorns her face. "You're the one my brother thinks hates him?" 

I let out a sigh, which I instantly regret. "I don't hate him. Listen, I don't mean to be rude but I do need to see the nurse." 

"Ahh, yes! Sorry. I'd better go to my brother outside anyway, and have him chastise me for injuring myself." 

She turns to the exit and just before she leaves she says "Bye Yasuko, I hope you recover quickly." 

She then walks off with a limp and using the crutch she was leaning on. I turn around to face the nurse's door only to find him there watching me. 

I walk towards him, and he moves out of the way and says "I'm glad you are making more friends with second years other than Ichimonji." 

Ignoring his comment, I enter his office, take a seat and wince, again. I hear him close the door behind me and take his normal seat. After sitting down, he asks "So Yasuda, what can I do you for?" 

"While Akemi was seizing, one of her arms caught my ribs as I went around her to protect her head from the furniture and floor." I gesture to the right side with my left arm. My ribs don't like that. 

"You have a small cut on your cheek along with a bruise forming. The cut isn't bleeding now." 

I nod my head. "She also caught my face twice, and my hands took the brunt when her head hit the furniture some amount of times." 

"Did you even try to avoid her?" Nurse asks in a joking manner. I narrow my eyes at him, and he chuckles. "Can you show me your hands?" He asks. I do so and he takes one with his purple nitrile gloves and examines it. "Do your fingers hurt or ache when you bend them?" 

"They ache when I move them." I move my fingers and confirm they still do. 

"If you do the minimum you can with your hands, they should heal quickly." 

_So, you want me to become Rin-ified?_

"What about my ribs?" 

"I was just getting to that, Yasuko. Could you lift your top so I can see your ribs?" 

I was expecting him to ask me to take my shirt off rather than raise it up. I'm glad he didn't. I raise my top, while wincing, to just barely below my bra, and the first thing nurse says is "There is a nice bruise forming already. People have quite a bit of power in them when they are seizing. Can you take several deep breaths for me please?" 

I take several deep breaths and wince in pain each time. It continues to hurt as I take a few more deep breaths while the nurse watches my ribs. I return to breathing normally, and the nurse makes a barely audible acknowledgement sound. 

"I am going to press the area to check if it is just bruised or something more, okay?" nurse says, looking at me. 

I nod my head, and he proceeds to touch my ribcage. As his fingers start pressing, I try my hardest to not make my body move. A task I partially succeed in. 

After several moments, nurse draws back and says "You can put your top back down now." I do so. "Sorry for the discomfort, Yasuko. Considering you got a direct hit from Sakurai, your ribs don't feel as bad as I feared. We will do an x-ray to see the full extent of the damage though." 

I let out a soft sigh, any harder and it'll hurt my ribs more. "We have one? Akemi hitting my ribs-" I take a sharp intake of breath. "-was more glancing than direct." 

Nurse nods his head in acknowledgement. "That would explain the smaller than expected bruising. But we will still do an x-ray to check for any damage to your bones." Nurse then turns to his desk phone and press one of the buttons on it. It starts ringing, and someone quickly answers. Nurse tells the person who answers to get the x-ray room prepared. I look around at the walls of this room, mainly to try distract myself from the pain. There is one that reads on how not to get the flu. I don't bother to read the rest as I've never had the flu. Actually, I've very rarely been ill, a fact I'm quite proud of. I would be proud of that, if I wasn't in pain. I look back at nurse who has managed to procure an ice pack from somewhere. 

Nurse tells me that while we wait for the machine to be prepared, I should raise my top again for him to apply the ice pack. I raise it and he applies the pack. When it makes contact, I find it very hard not to move away from it. Once the overall shock of the coldness subsides, I start feeling the effects of it. 

"While we wait, may I ask how your suspension is going?" Nurse seemingly randomly asks. His question causes me to look to his eyes and wonder how he knew about my suspension. "What? After your little fight, Enomoto was brought here. Thankfully she wasn't as injured as either you or Katayama were when you two fought. How long were you in hospital again? A week was it?" 

_Rika deserved it though._ I sometimes wonder what Akemi and Masahiro would have been like if I hadn't intercepted his route and they had gotten together. I try not think of that even if my view of him is changing. I try to think of something to get rid of that thought. Thankfully an idea appears. I turn my head to nurse and ask "When I leave once the x-ray is done, would it be possible for me to take Akemi's wheelchair with me?" 

"No," nurse flatly says, "If you use it to get back, how will Sakurai get to her dorm room?" 

_Not what I meant, plus I'm sure you have a few wheelchairs hanging around._ I try to suppress a wince. "I didn't mean for myself. It's to add the motorised part to it so she can move herself when she wakes." 

Nurse thinks for a second before replying. "Hmm, I have two options for you then. The first is for one of my staff to go with you and collect the part, or you take the wheelchair with you and not you but someone else attaches it to the wheelchair. Remember, you're supposed to rest your hands!" 

That took a lot less convincing that I expecting. I'm not sure what I was expecting though. "I think I'll take the second option." 

"Okay, but bear in mind that this depends on what the x-ray shows me." Nurse then looks at the door and wonders aloud "What is keeping him? He should be here by now." He looks back at me and stands, telling me he'll be right back when the phone starts ringing, and he answers it. After a few seconds, he puts it back down, turns to me and asks "Ready to get low level electromagnetic radiation put through you?" Pain subsiding somewhat, I close my eyes and reply that I do. 

*** Ryuunosuke's PoV *** 

Instead of going straight to the library, I first go to my room, to change and get everything I will need later. Then, I head for the library. 

From the entrance, I quickly scan the room, but I am unable to see any computers. I go to the desk near the front and look round for any staff. _I wonder if students help out here too?_

"Umm… Hello? May I help you?" A female voice from behind calls out. I turn around and see a woman who doesn't look that much older than myself. She is roughly my height, has auburn hair and is wearing glasses. 

"I hope so. I want to look up something. Do you know where the computers are?" 

"Umm… Yeah. They're over there." She points down one of the aisles. 

I thank her and then head in that direction. 

Once I get to the computers, I look up 'Epilepsy'. A quick scan tells me it is a disorder within the central nervous system, and the symptoms can vary by quite a bit. I also find out that there are different types of epilepsy. I read up on the types before deciding to look at the triggers. _Maybe there is something I could do to help with Akemi's trigger._

I look through the websites listed on the search engine and I find one that lists them. I read them out loud quietly as I read them. "Photosensitive? Nope, Akemi said her trigger is unavoidable. Lack of sleep? Doubtful, I don't really see bags under her eyes, and this one is also avoidable. Alcohol and drugs? I hope not and from what I know of her at the moment, it is doubtful. Lack of medication? Maybe, but also doubtful as I can't see her purposefully avoiding her medicine if it's for her epilepsy. Stress? Every time I've seen her, she seems to be smiling, so doubtful it's stress. Photosensitive? Wait, didn't I just read that?" I look back to see if it was listed twice and after several minutes I find that it wasn't. I them remember being told that after I lost the vision in my eye, I may come across issues when reading, such as losing my place in whatever I'm reading. Sighing I continue reading where I think I was. "Menstrual cycle? N- wait… that can be a cause?" As I come across that, I click the text and read the explanation. After reading, the jigsaw pieces fall together – Akemi saying it is unavoidable and her saying the trigger is embarrassing. I can see how this being the trigger would be embarrassing. This has to be her trigger. It would be awkward to ask her if her menstrual cycle is the cause of her epilepsy. I find myself sighing. 

I suddenly feel light pressure on my right shoulder and a warm breath next to my right ear as I hear a voice ask "What you reading?" 

I jump several inches off my chair as I let out a less than masculine scream. I hear the perpetrator fall to the ground behind me. After calming down, I look to see the person to see Miki curled up on the floor, slightly twitching. Not due to a seizure, but due to her silently laughing. 

"Happy with yourself Miki?" I ask rhetorically. 

In the midst of her shaking with laughter and her tanned skin steadily going more and more red, she manages to nod in an exaggerated manner. 

"You do know we are in a library, right Miki?" She nods her head to that. 

While I wait for her to finish her laughing fit, I look around and see a black-haired girl reading a book, seemingly oblivious to the disturbance caused by Miki and myself. Even from where I am, I can see her bright blue eyes reading her book at quite a fast speed. 

A now-calm - but still red - Miki suddenly says "I didn't know you were interested in one of the smartest girls in the whole school." 

"I'm not. I was trying to figure out how she didn't react to that noise we made." 

"Her name's Rin Endo. My boyfriend told me she turns her hearing aids off when she reads, for some reason," Miki explains. _Boyfriend, huh? Considering how pretty Miki is, I'm not surprised she has a boyfriend._

"Maybe girls scaring guys is a common thing in the library," I joke, in a non-jokey tone. 

Miki just gives me a toothy grin and then looks at my screen. "What were you looking at anyway?" 

I look away from Rin and to Miki. I'm not sure if I should tell Miki that Akemi thinks she is going to have a seizure. 

"Someone I'm swimming with has epilepsy, and I decided to research it." As I say this, I go back to the previous page where it shows what epilepsy is and the list of triggers. 

Miki looks for several seconds before saying "I don't think Akemi has the photo-sensitive one." 

_What? How'd she know who I meant?_

"Why are you surprised? I tried swimming with her once in our first year. I couldn't handle the swimming though. After I got out the pool, she told me about her epilepsy. Also, I think she's the only epileptic who swims." 

"Really? You know her trigger?" 

"Nahh," she says as she shakes her head. 

"Why are you in the library anyway? Aren't we meeting later?" 

"Actually, I came to check on Snoozu, but she is still asleep. I saw you, so I thought I'd say hi." 

"That's one way to greet someone." My response earns a toothy grin from her. 

"By the way, if you want to, we could leave now, but I would have to change." 

"We can. If I meet you there in about ten or fifteen minutes? I want to look up one more thing before I leave." 

"Okay, have fun with that. I'll see you by the gates in fifteen minutes then." She walks off. 

I watch until she disappears and turn back to the computer. I decide to look up if there are any cures for epilepsy, and as I scroll through the various pages, I notice myself losing where I am more and more. Feeling myself getting annoyed with my eyes, I decide to give up. I got the main information I came for. As for the treatment stuff, I'm pretty sure Akemi would have had it based on her saying she basically hates her epilepsy. Speaking of Akemi and epilepsy, I hope her seizure won't be too bad. I pull my phone out of my pocket and am thankfully able to see the screen properly. I proceed to send her a message saying [Hey. Hope your seizure won't be bad.] 

*** ?'s PoV *** 

_Ouch, why do my arms hurt, and why are they hard to move?_ Opening, my eyes, I am immediately struck by this bright white room forcing me to close my eyes again. After the blinding white spots disappear I retry opening my eyes, just slower. My eyes gradually adjust, and I see I am in some white-ish room. _This is my room? I don't remember having such bad taste._

_Where am I? Why am I here?_ I try to move my arms, but they feel really, really heavy. I finally manage to put my arms into a position where I can lift myself up. I do so, but slowly because my body feels heavy - heavier than my arms. Once I have myself in a sitting position, I look around the room for any clue to why I'm here. There aren't any clues though. Apart from myself, I can see this semi-comfy bed I'm on, a bedside cabinet and a curtain isolating me from what I assume is a bigger room. 

Wherever I am, I can hear two voices from beyond the curtain. They sound familiar, but I don't recognise them. One of the voices is female, the other male. I can't even hear what they're saying. _This isn't some sort of dream is it?_ If not, then why are they in my room, and why is my room so white anyway? As I contemplate this, I take the cover off of my legs and struggle to move them so they are hanging over the edge. As I do that, I notice my lower legs seem to be lethargic and without feeling. Why? Are my legs that tired? 

I hear the sound of a door closing. I assume those two people that I could hear, left. I decide to try explore this room. I move closer to the edge of my bed and place my feet on the ground. I watch my feet and see them hit the ground but don't feel anything on contact. Is the ground as soft as the air? I shift my weight to my legs and begin to stand. I find myself suddenly plummeting to the ground. _Wh… What just happened? Why did my legs not work? A sudden flash of headlights and the sound of a truck horn and a scream fills my head. No. No, nonono! I feel tears soak through my trousers to my skin. Heh, I'm crying it seems._

Some time passes, I don't know how long, before I hear a door open followed by the sound of a curtain being drawn. I hear a man's voice ask "Are you alright Sakurai?" 

_Who is Sakurai? I look up to see a purple-haired man in an open white lab coat, smiling at me. Who the heck are you? Wait, this isn't my room is it? Why am I here? Let me go back home to my mum and dad!_ I curl myself up into a ball hoping this is some kind of bad dream. I hear the man say something, I'm not sure what, and I feel his hand touch my shoulder. I shudder when he touches it. "Sakurai…" He says that name again. 

Why is he saying that name? 

I look up to see what this person is doing, and I see him kneeling in front of me with a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay?" 

_Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought? At least, he seems to be caring._

"I... don't know. Where am I?" 

"You're in the infirmary. You had a seizure and were moved here," the man says. "Do you want me to help you back onto the bed?" 

I slowly look behind myself at the bed. "Y-Yeah." Please don't do anything. 

This person puts one of his arms under my knees and the other on my back and lifts me onto the bed. He then steps back and asks "Do you remember who you are?" 

That is an odd question. "Yes, my name is… uh…" What? Why can't I remember my name? I try to think and a name appears. "Shiba? No… that doesn't sound right…" 

The man smiles and says "Close. You're Akemi Sakurai. I'm Rakujochigusa, the head nurse of Yamaku, the school you attend." __

I nod my head as I am told this information. "Where d-did I get Shiba from?"

"You've been swimming with a person called Ryuunosuke Shibanuma." 

Shiba-numa… heh, I like that name. As I say that name in my head, I get a vision of myself swimming alongside an orange-haired guy with a scar going across his left eye smiling at me. I tell the head nurse what I saw. 

"I'm glad your memory is returning. If you have another rest then you will most likely get the rest of them back as well. I'll draw the curtains for you so you'll have privacy." 

"T-Thank you." I try to move my knees to get into a more comfortable position and realise it wasn't lethargy that was stopping my legs from moving. "Umm, my legs aren't working…" 

"You had an accident years ago which resulted in you not being able to use your lower legs." Ohh… "I'll explain more after you have had a proper rest." 

"W-Who left earlier?" I ask, my voice faltering. 

"Yasuko, Yasuko Yasuda, your cousin." 

"Yasuko…" I find myself muttering. Hearing and saying her name make me feel weirdly safe even if I can't remember her face. 


	10. Chapter 10: Pain

**Chapter 10: Pain**

*** Ryuunosuke's PoV *** 

As I close the main door of the boys' dormitory behind me, I hear and feel my phone. _Akemi has replied now?_ Pulling my phone out, I look at it and find my guess was correct. I open and read the message. [This is Yasuko, Akemi still recovering. Shell be happy you concerned. May not be in pool tony] 

I wince slightly at Yasuko's texting skills. Also, Yasuko has Akemi's phone? I guess Akemi's seizure warning works then. I hope she's okay. I wonder who 'tony' is. I may ask Yasuko why she wrote tony, if I meet her. My phone beeps again in my hand, and I see another message from Akemi's phone saying that 'tony' meant 'tmoz'. Ahh, that makes more sense. I send a reply. [Tell her I hope she is okay.] I put my phone back into my pocket and look up to see I have almost reached the gates already. _I'm glad there weren't any obstacles, such as lampposts, in the way._ I chuckle to myself as a memory of Hitomi surfaces. I see a brown-haired girl up ahead facing away from me. She is wearing a pair of jeans and a pink tracksuit jacket with white stripes. As I get closer, I recognise the girl as Miki. 

As the gap between us closes, she turns around, smiles and waves her left arm. Although her choice of clothes isn't what I was expecting, they do look good on her. 

"You didn't go check on Akemi?" Miki asks as I stop walking. 

I shake my head. "No, I wasn't sure if she would have wanted me to. I don't know if she would even be at the Nurse's or in her room, wherever that is." 

"So… Nothing going on between the two of you?" A cheeky look appears on her face. 

"No." That was probably said a bit too quickly. _I guess we have gotten close. Heck, I'm not even bothered by her seeing my scars anymore - my chest scars that is._

Miki looks at me as if studying me before saying "Uh huh, if you say so. Should we go now?" 

"Yeah we can. Uh… Any place in particular you'd want to go?" 

A smile spreads across Miki's face as she asks "You didn't think of where to go, did you?" I shake my head. "Hmm… There is a café in the city that does good meals, but it's too late to go now." Miki thinks for a moment before an idea seems to appear in her head. "How about the Shanghai?" 

Making our way down the hill, Miki and I have a conversation about random stuff, parts of which include her poking fun at me for not choosing a destination. I do remind her that I am new to Yamaku and the area. 

Partway down the hill, Miki and I see a person on a bicycle zoom past us at a high speed. I would hazard a guess that he was probably going somewhere around fifty kilometres per hour. The cyclist looks a bit familiar, and I find out who it was when I hear Miki say "Geez Akahito, it's a bad idea for you to go that fast, even if you're freewheeling." 

"He crashed then? I guess it wasn't that bad if he can go that fast now." I say. 

"It would have been, if he had been going as fast as he is now and if it wasn't his prosthetic side he landed on." She says, clearly not happy. 

"Prosthetic side?" I enquire. 

"Yeah, his left arm and leg are prosthetics." Miki replies. 

We soon end up inside the Shanghai where we are taken to a spare table. Nearly all the other tables are empty, too, so we are able to choose where we want to sit - Miki wants to sit next to a window. 

One of the staff soon comes to us and takes our orders. As I feel I have been having Mapo Doufu so much, I am going to change it - though not by much – to katsu chicken curry and a pot of green tea. Miki picks out a meat udon dish, and our server bows and walks off. I watch as he walks off, and once he's out of range, I turn to Miki and ask "No drink?" 

Miki shakes her head and replies "Nahh, I'm not a fan of the drinks here, so I'll just have water." She then proceeds to fill a glass with water from the pitcher which was already on the table. 

After taking a few mouthfuls and swallowing, Miki asks "So, did you finish your little research thing on Akemi's epilepsy?" 

"Not quite yet. It was an interesting read though." _Even if I couldn't read it all._

Miki takes a sip of her glass of water. "Interesting read? Speaking of interesting, earlier today I had a guy from my class ask me to help him lose weight." 

"Are you going to help him" I ask, interested, not in the guy, but in what her response was. 

Miki looks into her nearly empty glass of water and answers, in a slightly subdued tone "I'm not sure. I'm not really one for teaching or being able to help others, or myself." Her voice trails off as she looks at her left hand – no, wrist. 

"Except Suzu?" I add to her sentence, hopefully to improve the mood, causing her to look up at me and smile. 

"Snoozu's different. We kind of rely on each other, but this guy... I would have no idea how to help him. He's good at drawing but that wouldn't help me help him," Miki finishes. 

"So, what are you going to do?" I ask, curious. 

Miki looks at her glass and starts spinning it on the table before replying "I have no idea. I'll work something out, like I have in every other situation I've ended up in." 

Miki stops spinning the glass and looks straight at me. "That's enough about me, did you do any sports at your old school?" 

"No, I used to, but I stopped about five years ago because… reasons." I reply, nearly going deeper than I'd want to. Saying that, I can almost guarantee what Miki is going to ask next. 

"Care to share?" she asks, a genuinely curious look spread on her face. 

"I'd rather not say if that's alright." I reply and offer Miki a smile. 

She stares at me for a few seconds as if she's trying to find my reasons on my face. Good luck with that, I've had years of practice hiding it. Not even my best friend Hitomi knows everything. 

Our eyes soon lock with each other's causing me to look down at the table. I think of something to say, and a question immediately pops into my head. 

"What about you, what sport do you do, Miki?" I ask. 

"Running, I'm on the track team. I'm the second fastest on the team, right behind Emi." I sense a competitive tone in her voice as she says the last part. 

"Who's Emi?" 

Now smiling, Miki describes her "A small, cute girl in Sakurai's class. It can be hard to see her as she likes the run around the school, including the corridors. She gets chastised all the time about it. 

"Sounds like a fun girl." I respond. 

Miki makes a noise in acknowledgement before asking "So there's no chance of you joining the track team?" 

I shake my head. _I had enough of that five years ago._

Miki makes what looks like an attempt at puppy dog eyes. "What are you doing, Miki?" 

"Damn, how does she do it then? Should have known Emi's puppy dog eyes wouldn't work if I tried them. Shame. It usually gets her what she wants - mostly with the guys," she laments. 

Miki's eyes widen, and I look at her in confusion as I ask "Were you not meant to say that?" 

"No, Well yes, but not that. Your eye's bleeding, Ryuunosuke!" she explains in an alarming tone. 

I bring my hand to my left eye and feel wetness. "Oh, yeah, so it is," I say in a semi-caring tone. Having it happen as much as it does has made me quite impassive. With my right hand I reach for one of the napkins on the table before cleaning my hand and eye. 

"Better?" 

Miki nods her head and opens her mouth, but as she is about to speak, we hear the sound of a woman apologising getting closer to us. We look and see a familiar looking woman carrying food approach us before almost dropping it on our table and telling us to enjoy it before rushing off to the front of the place.

"Poor Yuuko. I wish she'd relax just a little bit, she'll have a stroke or some sort of aneurysm otherwise." I hear Miki say. 

Miki then looks down at her food and quickly starts eating - in a way that would lose her any ladylike points if she had any. Looking too busy to reply to any question I could ask, I dig into my food, too. 

After some time passes, we have both almost finished our food, Miki having considerably slowed down her pace. 

"You know those puppy dog eyes you tried? Even if this Emi were as good as you say she is, I doubt they'd have worked. Only one person's puppy dog eyes have ever worked on me, and she doesn't even come here, so I'm safe." I tell Miki. 

Interested, Miki replies "Oh? And who would that be?" A look I can't quite explain adorns her face. 

"My best friend, Hitomi..." I feel myself smiling, but my smile freezes as I realise something. "...who I have not spoken too since before I started here…?" I offer a nervous laugh, knowing full well what Hitomi would do if she was here right now. _She'd be either angry or disappointed, probably both._

Miki offers her own, non-nervous chuckle before saying "Maybe you should call her when we leave, so she doesn't think you're dead?" 

"Heh, maybe. I'm worried she'd come down here and kill me herself-." I'm cut off by a recognisable chiptune sound coming from Miki. 

I hear her quietly ask "Kurou?" She pulls out a purple phone from her pocket and brings it to her ear. "Hey Kurou, what's u- What?" I can hear the sound of a non-distinguishable male voice through her phone "Hold on, wait for me, I'll be there in a few minutes!" She moves the phone from her ear and presses a button before putting it back into her pocket and bringing out her purse. "Sorry Ryuunosuke, but something important has just happened, and I need to leave. Let me give you my share of the cost." 

I put my hand up and say "Don't worry about the cost, it was my treat anyway. And also, don't worry, stuff happens." I offer a smile to her. 

Miki beams a pretty smile at me as she stands up and puts her purse away. "Thanks, you're one of the good ones. Sakurai sure is a lucky girl." _Wait, what?_ Miki then rushes out of the place in a surprisingly fast and agile way. 

I return to Yamaku and surprise myself at how lost I'm not getting now, a feat I'm happy with. Entering the boys' dormitory, I make my way to the top floor where my room is. I look down the corridor and see a wrapped box outside my door. Curious and already heading that way, I head to the package and look at the label on top of it. I immediately recognise the scrawl as my uncle's. Unlocking my door, I open it and pick up whatever my uncle sent me and enter my room. It is lighter than I expected it to be, especially from him. 

I close the door behind myself with my foot and hear it close fully. I walk to my desk and place the package on it. Lacking a knife to cut the tape binding the top of the package together, I use the next best thing – my keys. 

After I open the flaps I can see three things: on the top is a letter which I take out. Under that is a DVD boxed set of a show I haven't finished watching yet – Twelve Kingdoms, and the third and biggest item: a portable DVD player. I look back at the DVD case and remember that when I was at home, I was watching it with my best friend, Hitomi. When I say she is my best friend, she was also kind of my only friend, at least before I came here. I was surprised how judgemental everyone at my school was when I returned after my accident. I tended to bump into quite a bit of stuff back then, and they laughed. I am glad I have grown mostly accustomed to my lack of depth perception. That is one of the reasons I wanted to come here, another being away from the town and neighbourhood where Shiori died. 

After going off on that depressing tangent inside my own head, I think about what started it. I quickly remember it had something to do with Hitomi, the friend whom I haven't gotten in contact with since I started here. She will probably be mad at me, knowing her. I will try to remember to call her later as I wouldn't want to end up like the guy who got on her bad side after he attacked me. 

For now, I think I will check to see if this DVD player has survived the journey. I remember my uncle sending me a box of biscuits that you could only get where he lives but when it got to me, I thought he had sent dust for some reason, until he told me what it was. I am curious why he went all the way to my house and sent this player though. _I wonder if it even has any charge in it._

As soon as I open it and turn it on, it beeps at me and shows a low battery icon. I look in the box and I see my uncle put the charge cable for it in the box, too. I plug it in, and it thankfully starts charging. I then open the DVD case and insert one of the discs into the player. As it starts, I remember the letter that was in the box, too. 

After opening the envelope, and unfolding the letter I start reading. 

**_Hello Ryuunosuke. I hope you are well and are adjusting to Yamaku. If I remember correctly from my time at Yamaku and the current temperature here, it should be getting warmer there. You will probably be wondering why I am writing a letter instead of calling you, correct? Well, one reason is so you will have an explanation as to why I seemingly randomly sent a DVD player to you while not ruining the little surprise at the same time. The other reason is that despite having written several books, I am still useless at writing letters._**

 ** _When you receive this letter and the box I sent, I will not be in the country as I will be in America to do some hands-on research for my next book. One of my friends here has graciously let me stay at his during my visit. Tamiko will be joining me here once her pet project in China is finished. Don't worry, our house is secure and Yuudai is at yours and will no doubt be enjoying Hitomi's company. That dog really loves that girl. That dog also knows how to greet you in a painful way, for guys at least._**

 ** _At the bottom of the box that should have come with this letter there is a mosaic photo that Tamiko managed to finally complete, the one you asked for a few months ago. The one of Shiori. It is wrapped up to hopefully protect it on its way to you._**

 ** _The DVD that is in the box is your copy of it. I got you a new player as your old one was on its last legs and was almost seven years old. I went to your father's and Hitomi told me you hadn't finished the series before you left. I'm not sure how many TV's Yamaku will have gained in the past thirty years since I was there._**

 _How old is my uncle again? Nearly fifty if I remember right?_ I am about to continue reading the letter when I hear my phone notify me that I have a message. I reach over to my phone and open it. I see the message is from an unknown but familiar looking number. I open the text and it reads [Are you still alive and are you busy?] 

Part of me wants to ignore the message since the number is unknown, but a bigger part wants to reply, purely for curiosity's sake. I am glad I'm not a cat. I reply [Yes and no. Who are you?] 

I close my phone and put it back down, but it immediately emits a different tone, a caller tone. I look at the display and see it's the same number. _I wonder who it is._ To sate my curiosity, I press the answer button and put the phone to my ear. "Hello? Who is this?" 

I am greeted with a female voice, sounding slightly hurt, saying "Really? I'm disappointed you tried to remove another eye." 

_What?_ A second or two of confusion passes before I realise. Oops. 

"Hey Hito-" 

I am cut off by Hitomi's slightly hurt sounding voice. "So, you do remember me. I was thinking you had forgotten who I was. I was beginning to wonder if you were alive." 

I wonder how much of her hurt tone is faked. "I could never forget about you, Hitomi. You're my best friend after all." 

"Except you didn't call or have my number," Hitomi interjects. 

"Sorry, you know my father gave me a new phone and SIM card before I came here." 

"Nope. It's just as well your uncle dropped by with Yuudai and asked if I had talked to you yet- No Yuudai, that food is not for you, it's mine!" I can't help but chuckle at what must be unfolding. Yuudai must have snuck up to her and jumped at her. He really is a hyper dog. "Don't look at me like that... Fine. Sit. Sit. Good boy. Here you go... You, stop laughing Ryuunosuke. When I come over, I will hurt you. I wanted that bacon." 

"You do know that the reason Yuudai likes you so much is because you give him food every time he looks at you. I would say you're too soft, but I know better." 

"Hey! I'm plenty soft enough. Stop Yuudai, don't lick my mmph-." 

I chuckle and say "His way of saying he loves you, Hitomi." 

I hear the sound of another female through in the background on Hitomi's end call Yuudai's name. 

"Thanks mum. Love sucks." 

"So, you were calling to make sure I hadn't died yet." I state. 

A slight pause. "Yes. Well, that and to tell you that there's a festival at your school which I will be going to. Jirou told me about it when he dropped Yuudai off before leaving to go off to another country." 

_Hitomi, coming here? I'm not sure if that is good or bad. Interesting for sure though._ "Isn't that a little far to travel?" I ask as I remember it taking my father several hours to drive us from the house to Yamaku. Granted, we did leave during rush hour, so that didn't help with the journey time. 

"Not really, as long as I have my music and don't forget my train stop, I'll be fine. Jirou suggested that I come anyway, even offered to pay. Now, I have a question. Met any interesting people at your school?" 

_Define 'interesting'._ By her tone, I can tell what she is referring to. 

I tell Hitomi about the people I've met so far; the jokester Miki, the posh-type but approachable Lilly, Shizune, the shy, but good swimmer and wheelchair-bound Akemi, a guy who wears red tinted sunglasses inside called Masahiro and a second-year girl called Kaiya who doesn't appear to care what her words do to people. When I tell her Shizune and Lilly are here, Hitomi laughs and asks if they still hold the grudge. I tell her that I think they do judging by how they acted around me. Hitomi tells me that I shouldn't have done that bet. 

As we start to speak about something else, my phone makes a beeping sound. I look at the screen and see the battery icon is red. I tell Hitomi, and she says she should go anyway as she has stuff to do tomorrow morning. Before she puts the phone down, she tells me one more thing, and that is to not to get into trouble. 

*** Yasuko's PoV *** 

I arrive in Akemi's room and sit down in her wheelchair - the wheelchair I just pushed all the way from Nurse's office. I think I regret doing that, even if what I intend to do is good. Even pushing it hurt, but I endured it. I tried wheeling myself, in it, but upon pushing down on the wheel, my ribs screamed at me. They probably would have if they had a mouth. _That's a weird and disturbing thought._ I scratch that from my mind. 

Akemi's wheelchair is really comfy. I am glad my father was able to repair this after Akemi's last crash in it. She's had this for several years as her father, my uncle, bought it and modified it for her with a custom powered attachment unit. _Speaking of that, where would it be?_ I spin the left wheel of the wheelchair round so I won't have to painfully turn my neck, not that it can turn it much anyway... Well it can but not without excruciating pain, which I prefer to avoid. I find the attachment behind the door to get in. Looking at it, I contemplate attaching it myself but I remember my fingers are still very sore. Letting out a sigh, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Kaiya. 

After a few rings, I hear a familiar voice but with a raspy tone say "Hey Yasuko, how's Akemi?" 

_Figures she'd already know._ Kaiya can easily find things out - that's how I found out stuff about Akemi's crush, even if she is denying it. "She's, err, recovering. She'll be back to her normal self soon. What's wrong with you?" I reply. 

"Dry throat, from the cannula," She explains, "Also not wearing the cannula at the moment either." 

"Isn't that dangerous?" I ask, worried. 

"Eh, can be if I'm doing anything more strenuous than a very slow walk, I'm only in my room resting anyway. If something does happen, the emergency button is only an arm's length away. Why'd you call anyway?" 

"Huh? Oh, yeah, could you put your oxygen back in and come up to Akemi's room?" 

A long pause occurs. "Kaiya? You still breathing?" 

"More or less. Yeah, I can come up. Will be a few minutes. I need to check the pipe first and then take some medicine, but I'll come after." Kaiya replies. 

"Thank you, see you in a few minutes." My statement is followed by a click on the other end signalling Kaiya ending the call. From what I know, it doesn't take her that long to change her pipe. Also, from what I know, Kaiya seems to have some sort of asphyxia fetish. That is what I've gathered from the past few months that I've known her at least. 

Sitting in this wheelchair is comfy for my butt, but not my back. _How can Akemi find this back panel comfy enough to lean back on it for most of the day?_ I stand up from her wheelchair and, ignoring the pain, walk to her bed and lie down on top of it. Akemi's bed is really, really comfy. Possibly more so than mine. I really like it. _I wonder if she'd notice if I changed the mattress._

While lying on Akemi's bed, I think about my visit to the nurse's office. Nurse was swapping gloves and had to open a new box. It didn't want to open, and I'm pretty sure he cussed a few times. 

I find myself letting out a small chuckle which gets instantly cut short by pain. While Nurse can be fun, it does get annoying that he keeps going on about me and my neck brace. Honestly, I have no idea where that thing is. I'm not telling him that though as he would not be happy. While I still am feeling pain from my ribs, it isn't as bad as it could be. Nurse was kind enough to give me some painkillers one level above my current ones. He wouldn't give me any higher ones due to some reason which he wouldn't go into. 

After my ribs were x-rayed, it was found that there's a hairline fracture on one of my lower right ribs. I was also told how long it would take for it to heal - around four to six weeks. Just enough time for Akemi's next seizure to happen. Oy vey. 

That's probably the only Yiddish I know.

I think back to her seizure and the show we were watching. I had never noticed until now, but there seems to be a similarity between myself and Tsukushi Makino. If Akemi and I were in that show and I was Tsukushi, then would that mean Akemi would be Sakurako? Well, except for the betrayal part, hopefully. If that were the case, who would Yamaku's F4 be? I think for a few seconds, and then a really strong candidate comes to mind – Masahiro. He comes from a really wealthy and powerful family, and I've heard stories about his mother. That's probably why they stowed him away at Yamaku: They do not want to 'taint' their image. Two other names pop into my head, two people I hate, Saki Enomoto and Rika Katayama. Hmm, that's only three names though. Who could the fourth person be? Shizune, maybe? 

From my current position, I slowly sit up and audibly groan as my ribs also groan, in protest and subdued pain. I believe the manga that show is based on is in Akemi's room somewhere as I'm sure I left it in here at one point. Looking around from my position, I spot the corner of a manga by the side of Akemi's desk. Slowly, I go to it and grab it, but to my disappointment, I see it is the eighth issue of Rurouni Kenshin. Never been fond of any of those mangas, but Akemi likes them. I throw it on top of her desk and spy another. This is not what I was looking for either, this one being Sailor Moon. I slump into the nearest thing I can sit or lie on, that being Akemi's wheelchair. 

After waiting for around 15 minutes, there is a recognisable knock at Akemi's door. I call out for the person to enter. The door opens revealing who I was expecting; Kaiya. 

Upon seeing me, the first thing she says is "God you look awful." I resist the urge to chuckle as she then looks around the room. "Where's Akemi?" 

"Thanks, I try my best. Akemi's still in the infirmary, yet to wake I think." 

"Oh, okay. What did you want me for if she isn't her here?" Kaiya asks. 

"Someone to talk too, and I need someone with able fingers to attach Akemi's powered unit to her wheelchair and I injured mine protecting Akemi's head during her seizure," I tell her, making a show of my hands which are still quite red. 

"Ouch, where's the unit?" 

"They're by the door. Thank you." 

Kaiya turns her neck, a feat I'm jealous off, and I hear her say "Got any decent music to play while I do it?" 

Akemi's tastes vary so I don't really have an answer to her question. I go over to the CD player which is by the side of her dresser and press play assuming there's already a CD in it. A song starts playing, and I then spy a CD case next to it, labelled 'Fiction Yuki Kajiura'. _I've known Kaiya since the start off this school year, and I still don't know what sort of music she likes._

I look back to Kaiya after one of the songs starts, and I hear her say "Why doesn't Akemi get an actual powered wheelchair instead of this setup?" 

What? Oh yeah, we've never told Kaiya about Akemi's dad. "It may not be the best, far from it actually. Neither Akemi nor I want to change it as her dad, my uncle, made it for her." 

"Why doesn't he change it then?" she asks. I go cold, then remember Kaiya doesn't know he died. I'm glad she's asking me and not Akemi. 

"He probably would, if he could." Kaiya looks at me with a confused look so I continue "He's dead. Died during a boating accident six years ago. 

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry." Kaiya apologises, her eyes wide. 

"Don't be. But be careful if you end up asking Akemi about him. She was very much a daddy's girl. He taught her to swim twice, before and after her accident." Kaiya nods her head in acknowledgement, a serious look on her face. This is one of the few times I've seen such a look on her face. 

Kaiya looks at the powered unit's parts and then back to me before asking "So, now the depressing parts are out the way, how the fuck do these parts fit?" 

Over the next few minutes, maybe even half hour, I explain to Kaiya how each of the pieces fit on the chair: The two motors sit just above the wheels to friction drive it, the joystick control sits on the right arm, and the heavy battery goes underneath and they're all connected by wires. 

"When you can, could you also take it to the nurse's office?" I ask Kaiya. 

"Yeah, of course," she answers. 

"Thanks. I would, but it would hurt my ribs." 

"Anytime. I've noticed Akemi has taken a liking to that Ryuu guy quite quickly. I guess that's why you wanted me to look into him, right?" Kaiya says, sitting on the bed next to me. 

"Ryuunosuke? Yeah. Don't want her to make the same mistake I made." Kaiya looks at me with an interested and confused look. I assume she wants me to go on. I let out a sigh. "I fell for Massimiliano pretty much as quickly, except we were friends during our childhood when I lived in Italy. Akemi had warned me about him when I told her how I felt about him. It turned out she was correct after I found out he hated the fact I was coming to this type of school and that he only 'put up' with Akemi because I was there. I dumped him then and there. No one uses her to get to me, good or bad intentions! Akemi and I visited each other quite a lot despite living over nine thousand kilometres from each other. What did you find out about Ryuunosuke anyway?" 

Kaiya blinks several times, and I start to think she didn't hear me. "Well, I'm glad you found me rather than me finding you." She lets out a light chuckle. "I went to my grandfather's house yesterday, and I asked him about the Shibanuma house. Turns out he knows quite a few things about them as he's crossed path with a person called Jirou Shibanuma. Apparently, he's wheelchair bound and went here. You know my father works at the hospital nearby? It turns out my father treated Ryuunosuke when he got injured during some demonstration nearby." 

"I remember that! Well, the story that appeared in the school paper." I'd never seen Naomi and Natsume getting so excited about getting a story so quickly. I even got a copy of it. 

"Really? Maybe- no, if it was the school one, it's doubtful he'd have read it. Why not come with me to my grandfather's and ask him about the family?" Kaiya says as she tilts her head. 

*** Ryuunosuke's PoV *** 

After changing, I walk to the pool next to the lifeguard's office. I notice a lack of something, like yesterday – Akemi's singing. _It seems I've gotten used to her singing. It doesn't hurt that her voice isn't too bad either._ As I pass the office, I look through the doorway and see the same person as when I tried to jump out the pool, looking like she's busy reading. I continue on and enter the pool room. Looking up and down the pool's length, I can't see Akemi. _Strange._ The time on the clock on the wall indicates a suspicion I may be early to be wrong. So, if I'm here at the right time, where is Akemi? The lifeguard I passed in that office may know. I backtrack to it. 

"Hello?" 

The lifeguard puts her book down, looks at me and gently smiles. "May I help you?" 

_It's a nice smile._ "Yeah, I was wondering if Akemi has been here yet, she's normally here before me." 

The lifeguard's smile falters as she puts her book down. "Shibanuma, right? Akemi had a seizure yesterday. _Sei-? Oh, oh yeah, I remember Yasuko telling me through Akemi's phone._

"Is she okay? How bad was it?" As I speak, I hear my voice take on a tone of urgency. 

The lifeguard sweetly smiles and tells me "Please calm down, Akemi is fine now. She is recovering from what I've heard. If you want, you can get into the pool. But this time, please try not jump out of the pool like Akemi can." _I don't have any plans on doing that again._ I wince as I remember the pain in my shin afterwards. 

"Thank you. I don't plan too" 

I turn away and start to head back to the pool, entering the room again. I walk to the pool and sit on the edge, dangling my legs into the pool. The pool feels as cold as it normally does, so I brace myself as I slide the rest of myself into it. A decision I regret as it turns out the pool feels colder than it normally is. Could that be because Akemi isn't in here? A random and unrelated thought appears in my head – I didn't read the rest of my uncle's letter. I should do that when I get back to my room. I think I put it on my desk. Seeing as the pool's cold, I decide to immediately start swimming and hope I warm up. 

After completing several laps, I am not much warmer so I stop at one side of the pool. From where I've stopped, I can clearly see the clock on the wall and find I have only been in here for about fifteen minutes, it feels a lot longer than that. Perhaps I should leave after I've done a few more laps? Before I do that, perhaps I should see how fast I can swim now. Maybe I can now be faster than Akemi. That would surprise her. A smile appears on my face and I decide to do that. 

Positioning my legs so I can push off the wall, I wait for the seconds hand on the clock to reach twelve. As it reaches twelve, I push as off as hard as I can from the wall and swim as if my life depends on it. Stroke by stroke, I definitely feel like I'm going very fast. Somehow, it feels wrong to be in here by myself. I think that may be because every time I've been here so far Akemi's been here. I hope she's okay. I'll try to remember to message her to see if she's okay. I could go to her room, but that would lead to three problems; one, I'd be in the girls' dormitory, two, I have no idea where Akemi's room would be, I would assume ground floor because of her wheelchair, and three, even meeting in the pool makes her shy, so how'd she deal with me on her doorste-? "Ouch!" 

All thought disappears as my vision gets replaced by a blinding light filled with stars as I feel extreme pain in my head. I manage to get my head above water and flail to find the edge of the pool with my arms. I manage to pull myself out and I sit on the edge grabbing my head in pain. As I'm doing this my vision returns to normal. The seconds tick by, and I feel as though the pain is getting worse. I then feel a hand on my shoulder followed by a female voice "Are you alright, Shibanuma?" 

In the midst of the pain, which is slowly starting to subside, I am able to reply "Hit my head on the wall of the pool." 

I feel her put her hands on my head as she says "Hold still, let me look." A few painful seconds pass as she searches my head. She then says "Thankfully there's no blood so you should be fine. I would say, however, to take a break from the pool for the rest of the day. Also, it may be a good idea to get checked by the nurse later in case you have a concussion." 

Thankfully, the pain in head is lessening, and I am able to tell her that I will if I start feeling unwell. I start to stand, and she helps me up for which I thank her. I try to see if I can walk without help, and thankfully I can. 

As I make my way back to the changing room, I think to myself that perhaps seeing how fast I could swim with bad depth perception and a running mind was a bad mix. My head would agree with it I'm sure. 

Entering the changing room, my head notices the cold air circling around, slightly worsening the pain. I try to ignore it and pull a towel out of my bag. I dry my hands first and reach into my bag to pull out my phone to text Akemi while I still remember. After I've sent the text, I look at the time and find that I have plenty of time to get a decent breakfast, but first, I'll get changed before going to my room to get my uniform. Hopefully by then, my head will have stopped pounding. 


	11. Chapter 11: Wake Up

**Chapter 11: Wake Up**

I enter my homeroom, my head now thankfully only emitting a dull thud, easily bearable. I see several people already here, including Lilly and Masahiro. I take my seat and greet them both. Lilly greets me in a cheerful tone whereas Masahiro appears to be distracted. 

"Is everything alright, Masahiro?" 

"Yes. Well, I'm still trying to figure out how my sister managed to trip over something that was very easy for her to see," he replies. 

A thought appears in my head, one I'll keep at bay for the moment. 

"Does she have bad depth perception, like me? I still misjudge things, including pool walls," I say, thinking of this painful morning. 

A confused look crosses Masahiro's face before quickly disappearing. "No, she doesn't have any disabilities, she's perfect. Aside from her Asperger's that is." _Do I detect some disdain there?_ "She's only here because our mother sent her to keep an eye on me," Masahiro says, his tone indicating he doesn't like that. I can't say I blame him. Isn't Asperger's some type of Autism or something? 

"Asperger's? I thought Yamaku didn't allow those kinds of illnesses?" I ask. 

Judging from Masahiro's expression, I accidentally hit a nerve. "First, Asperger's isn't an illness, and secondly," I notice his expression change to a slight frown, "Wakana was allowed to come here due to my mother's financial support for the school." 

A different thought appears in my head. One I vocalise to him. "Masahiro, are you sure your sister tripped and did not fall?" Some people are against those with disabilities, as I found out at my old school, but could the opposite be true in this school? 

"You sound like you are implying that my sister is being bullied." Masahiro's tone thankfully does not sound accusatory. 

"It is a school after all, even if the students are disabled." 

Masahiro appears to enter a state of thinking for several seconds before saying "Come to think of it, that would explain some other stuff that has happened." 

We are suddenly drawn by a male voice at the classroom entrance "Come on Kirino, you know you want to." 

The girl, Kirino, has long bushy brown hair which goes over the front of her shoulders. She is also wearing an eye patch which has a smiley face on it. She stops, and I notice a smile appear on her face. She turns to face the guy before saying "Moriya, just because you have a camera and copies of Badi and Labrys, it doesn't mean I want to do that kind of photoshoot. Moriya turns red as the people in the class start laughing. He splutters out something as Kirino faces back to the class with a big smile on her face. She is still wearing the smile as she walks past and takes her seat behind me. _Poor guy._ As she walked past me, I was able to see the patch better and noticed the smiley face only has one eye. As I wonder about the eyepatch, I realise that I know very little about my classmates, aside Masahiro and Lilly. I know Kenji but I am far from fond of him. 

Japanese is followed by English. Japanese, I'm good at, unlike English. I hope I don't have to leave the country for any reason, I'd probably end up stuck there, unable to speak the native language. English slowly passes and changes into Mathematics where I am paired with Lilly and Masahiro, the three of us working on quadratic equations. When I say three of us, I mean two as I'm staring at this maths question, struggling to figure out how to do it. We formed a group to do these questions after our teacher, Kobayashi, told the class to make groups. I know that to graph this equation, I need to plot the vertex, but I can't seem to figure out where the y-intercept goes. This is frustrating as normally I'm good at maths. Each time I try to do my part of it, my mind keeps getting drawn back to the empty pool this morning. During Japanese, I was okay but during English I think I did worse than I normally do, if that was even possible. I haven't received a text back from Akemi yet. 

I hear Masahiro speak to me "Are you alright, Ryuunosuke? You appear to be distracted." _That obvious?_

"I can't focus. Akemi had a seizure, at some point yesterday, and this morning she wasn't in the pool. I sent a message to her phone asking if she's okay," I explain. 

"Will she be okay?" Lilly asks, concerned. 

_I hope so._ "I don't know. I haven't got a message back yet," I reply. 

"You must be worried. You're normally really good at maths, if Kobeyashi's mock test was any indication." 

"I normally am. I don't know why her seizure seems to be on my mind so much." 

"I can think of a reason why," Masahiro says, a smile appearing on his face. _What are you implying?_ I also hear a soft giggle escape from Lilly. I sneak a look at her and see a smile on her porcelain face. 

*** Akemi's PoV *** 

Why is my body so stiff and sore? I open my eyes and am greeted by a blinding white light from somewhere causing me to squint. As my eyes adjust to the light, I hear two voices, one male, and the other sounding similar to mine. _I'm in the nurse's office, and that male voice belongs to him. Why is he here- no, why am I in the nurse's office?_ I suddenly let out a yawn. _Why am I- Oh. I think I know the answer. I had a seizure, didn't I?_

I slowly sit up, and I can't tell if it's me or my joints groaning as I do so. After managing to sit, I look around and see a mirror. In it I see a girl whose brown hair is really messy and knotted. _Oh joy. This will take me ages to sort out, even if Yasuko helps!_ I let out a sigh at the thought. Looking closer I see my platinum roots starting to show. I haven't had my hair back platinum for a while now. I see and hear the curtain divider behind me open, revealing two people; Nurse and a long platinum-haired girl with golden yellow eyes and wearing a purple track top and bottoms. She looks extremely familiar, almost as if she is my tw- _Aneko?!_ I turn around and my body groans in protest. My mind and memories are still semi-foggy due to the seizure I had. I hate this part of the seizure. Well, I hate all of it really. 

Nurse is the first to speak "Welcome back to the land of the living, Sakurai." 

I offer Nurse a weak smile before asking Aneko "Why are you here, Aneko?" 

All of a sudden, Aneko rushes forward and pulls me into a tight hug, causing me to let out a small 'eep' sound. While her hug is nice, warm and comforting, it isn't good for someone who's aching as much as I am. Aneko is still tightly hugging me as the Nurse explains "You had a bad seizure yesterday, another nurse and I brought you here. Because of the extent of your seizure, your guardians were called." _Guardians? Yasuko's parents, my aunt and uncle?_ "This morning your sister here came by. I always think I'm seeing double, except for your eye colour and your dyed hair." _Don't forget the non-walking part._

"When they got the call, Aunt Yuuki and Uncle Keisuke asked me to come check on you seeing as I live and work in the city," Aneko tells me, her life draining, tight hug having loosened a bit. Considering we're both 19, She sure doesn't mind hugs. 

"Now you've been reacquainted with your sister, Sakurai, could you let her go, so I can do some tests on her, please." Nurse asks Sakur- no, Aneko with a slight chuckle. My head is still messed up somewhat. 

Aneko lets go of me and looks at Nurse before responding. "Sure." She turns back to face me "I'll be outside." I nod my head weakly, and she smiles. Aneko then leaves the room leaving me with the nurse. 

Once the door closes behind her, Nurse turns to me and says "Seeing as you'll figure it out later even if I don't tell you, Yasuko came by a short time after you were brought here because you had accidentally hit her during your seizure." _What?! Shit, how's her neck?!"_ My eyes widen as that thought runs through my mind. Obviously noticing my expression, Nurse then says "Don't worry, Yasuko is well enough. It was her ribs you caught, not her neck. She will be happy that you're awake and coherent now." 

"Where is she? Can I go see her?" I ask, possibly slightly too quickly. 

Nurse smiles. "Worry about yourself first, Akemi. After all, you are the one in my office, not her. If your examination goes well, you can leave today. I'm not sure if you're aware, but you did wake up earlier and were mildly distressed." 

_I… I don't remember that. I have been told numerous times that that happens to me. I never remember it though. Should I be glad or not?_

"By that look on your face, you don't remember it. At that time, it appeared some of your memories had returned, namely two people; your cousin, and a certain guy who's been swimming with you." Nurse finishes with a sly smile. 

_Ryuunosuke was one of the first people to reappear in my head, right?_ I can feel my face warming. I can't look in Nurse's direction right now so I look down at my body. That's when I notice bruise marks on my arms. _What will Ryuunosuke think when I see him in the pool? The pool, the one thing I absolutely love and that now I can't go to for a few days._ I feel my heart sink. 

"Worried about your bruises? They should disappear within a few days. Now then, are you feeling weak or sore at all?" Nurse asks. 

"A- A little. Mainly my arms and legs," I say, looking down at where the thin bed cover is covering my legs. Both sets of limbs in question are really aching. _How will I wheel myself to my room? Maybe Aneko?_

"Okay, as you know, the weakness is due to the seizure. Now, I have a question; have you been remembering to take your medication?" Nurse asks, his expression becoming stern as if he already knows the answer. Not good. 

"N-No," I stutter "I- I've been forgetting recently." _Here it comes. I hope he doesn't ask me about stress causing some of my seizures._

Nurse raises his eyebrows. He then sighs and shakes his head as he says "Not good, Akemi, not good. You know those tablets allow us to better regulate your seizures to around one a month, and those to a lesser degree. You should know better than anyone that forgetting them increases the chance of you seizing or having a debilitating one." 

_four times suddenly appear in my head; the first time I had a seizure, on my mother's horse, which got spooked and trampled my legs, the time I broke my wrist during a seizure, the time I had a seizure in the sea, thankfully my dad was alive then and nearby, the fourth time I remember was my first year here, and it was a new environment._

"Without those, you would need to lead a stress-free life which is hard for a student. Trust me, I know." 

_Please don't tell me that story again. That's one of the reasons I swim, even if my dad died at sea._

"Now, you already know this, but whether I let you go now or later, you can't go swimming for a few days. I would recommend to wait until your strength has returned enough to be able to push yourself in your wheelchair. This will allow your body to recover. We wouldn't want you to nearly drown, again." 

I reply with a dejected nod. My mind goes back to a seizure I had here in the pool just after I started. I was in the hospital for a short time because of it. My family were worried, but also unhappy that I had ignored the advice. I got the third degree from Nurse for that and the fourth from Aneko. That was much worse. Drowning is one thing I wouldn't want to happen to me again, either at sea or in the pool. 

"You may not swim, but you can still visit it if you want. I'm sure Shibanuma will like that." Nurse says, finishing with a smile as I feel my face warming up. _Why, Nurse, Why?_

"Now that you've had another seizure, will you remember to take your medication? If not, I may end up having to recruit two people to make sure you do." _Kaiya and Yasuko? Just telling them would be bad. Surely he can't do that anyway, confidentiality and that, right?_

Nurse appears to be able to read my mind as he then says "If you're wondering what I'll say, it'll be along the lines of 'Makes sure Sakurai takes her medication.'" He's not smiling, meaning he is serious. I don't like serious Nurse. 

"I-I will remember. Please don't tell them." I plead. 

Nurse smiles, _Good_ , "I won't, unless you forget. In the meantime, I'll keep tabs on you to make sure. If I'm busy then remember I also have spies." I notice a hint of a smile as he says that. 

"I-I'll remember." 

"Good, I already have enough paperwork." Smiling, he points to a thick folder on a table. My folder. I feel guilty, even if that wasn't his intention. "Now that I've chastised you, I've heard from my spies that you and Shibanuma are getting close. Judging by your redness, I'll say she is correct. I hope he stays around, unlike your cousin." 

Yasuko likes swimming, but not as much as I do. She only joined me in the pool because her parents and I asked her too. Still, I'm glad she did, as she was there when I nearly drowned. I think that is why she is less fond of the pool now. 

"Does Shibanuma know about your epilepsy? Nurse asks. 

I nod and say "He knows I have it and that I have an unavoidable trigger." 

Nurse's smile falters as he says "Unavoidable trigger? I assume he doesn't know your menstrual cycle causes most of your seizures? Does he know that a lot of stress can cause it too?" 

I shake my head. "N-No, neither, it has been such a long time since I had a stress-related one, I think I had actually forgotten about it." _Nurse did not like that._

"I didn't want to lecture you more, but forgetting your triggers is as bad as forgetting your medication. I feel as though I have lectured you enough now. You've ended up here plenty of times anyway. Do you have any questions for me?" 

_Yes._ "I-Is there chance of me regaining some feeling or movement in my legs as I grow a-and get older?" I ask. 

"Grow? You're already nineteen, so I'll doubt you will grow much more and I doubt you have an overactive growth hormone." _Don't remind me that I'm two years older than everyone else in my year. I don't want to be reminded of the reasons either._ Nurse pauses and appears to think for a second "As for feelings and movement, the human body is a complex organism, so it can be possible. I wouldn't put all my faith in it though, sorry." He gives an apologetic smile. 

That is a shame. I look around the room and spy a familiar wheelchair - my wheelchair. I see something attached to it. "Hey Nurse, that is my wheelchair, right?" 

Nurse looks in the direction I'm looking before turning back and replying "Yes, your cousin took it with her and got Ichimonji to attach the powered unit, at least she said she was going to get Ichimonji too. Ichimonji came by and dropped it off." _Thank you, Kaiya and Yasuko."_

"When can I leave?" I ask. 

Nurse smiles and says "Not enjoying my company? Normally in this situation I would want you to stay here until you've regained your strength but seeing as you seem to be attached by the hip to your cousin and as your sister is outside, you _should_ be easily looked after. They will be able to help should you need it so you can leave now. Do you want too?" I nod my head. 

Without a word, Nurse gets up and manoeuvres my wheelchair so it is next to the bed I'm on. I start to lift myself up but my arms refuse to cooperate properly. Nurse watches me struggle for several seconds before he asks "Do you want some help?" 

_No. I can do this. I want to do this._ Several times I try to move myself, to no avail or than a few inches. If I keep this up I will get off this bed, but will end up in a mess on the floor. 

"Yes." I reply in a dejected tone. _I hate this._ Nurse offers another apologetic smile, not one of pity thankfully, as he manoeuvres himself so he can pick me up under my arms, baby-like. I am glad I am quite light but even so Nurse looks like he is struggling even as I do what I can with my arms. After lowering me into my wheelchair, Nurse lets out a breath of air. "T-Thank you. A-Are you okay?" I timidly ask. Why do I feel timid? 

Nurse takes his seat and smiles. "Yes I am. You are okay to move your joystick, right?" _Good._

I look to the right arm of my wheelchair where the joystick is and move it to the right to turn away from the bed. As it moves, the motors begin their whirring, or it may have been the motor wheels on the wheels doing that, I'm not quite sure. "Y-Yeah. Am I okay to leave?" 

"Almost, hmm." Nurse thinks for a second while stroking his chin. He then shakes his head. "Never mind." I tilt my head in confusion, wondering what he was thinking. He doesn't say what was on his mind as he instead says than I can leave. He walks to the door and opens it. Pushing the joystick on my arm rest, my wheelchair starts moving forward with a semi-loud whirring sound. As I pass Nurse, he says "Have fun with your sister, and remember to get some rest. And to not swim for a couple of days." 

I smile at him as I pass and say "I will." 

"Also, medication, don't forget." 

Outside the office, I hear nurse close the door. To my left I hear something snap shut. I look that way and see a closed book by the side of my sister. Either I blanked out or Aneko's gotten faster, but next second I feel her tightly hugging me. I bring my arms to hug her back as tightly as I can, which admittedly, isn't that strong at the moment. 

"I missed you Akemi!" It has been a while since I last saw Aneko, even though she only lives in the city near here. It's also been a while since she's deafened one of my ears. She lets me go and easily gets out of my weak grip. She draws back so her hands are on my shoulders. She stares at me for several seconds with her yellow eyes. When I don't have dyed hair, our eyes are the only way to tell us apart. 

"How are you truly feeling Akemi?" my sister asks me. 

"W-Weak, and achy. I want to go to my room," I reply, weakly. She smiles back at me. 

"Not with that hair you're not. You really are a mess Akemi, let me fix that." Aneko turns to a bag on the seat next to where she was and pulls out a hair brush. _Please be gentle, I'm fragile._

She walks back to me and starts pulling at my hair with the brush. "Why are you brushing my hair here and not in my room?" I ask her. 

Aneko just blinks at me before she replies "Do you really want to go across the campus looking like a White-Eye has been nesting in that hair? You wouldn't want any cute guys here to think you don't take care of yourself, would you?" As I feel myself getting warm and going red, I realise Aneko was baiting me. _Dammit!_ Judging by Aneko's laugh, she noticed. "so, who is he? And when do Yasuko and I get to kill him? If she hasn't already." She noticed. 

"N-No one." I say too quickly. Aneko just stares at me with her bright yellow eyes which she knows how to pierce me with. After around a minute of trying to avoid her intense, silent staring. I look into her eyes and notice one of them twitch, almost as if she needs to blink. I give in and say "H-His name is R-Ryuunosuke S-Shibanuma." 

After finally blinking, Aneko smiles and says "There, that wasn't so hard was it? Shibanuma, huh? I don't know why, but I recognise that name. Maybe it's on Yasuko's murdered list? Now, let's go to your room, never liked being in this sort of area." Aneko puts her bag on her shoulder before disappearing behind me followed by my wheelchair moving. 

With Aneko pushing me, we enter my room. As soon as I enter, I notice something is different, and I'm pretty sure it isn't because of the temporary retrograde amnesia thing I get. I'm glad that's only temporary. "Something's different," I find myself saying out loud. 

"Of course! Can you figure out what?" I hear Aneko say with a slight giggle at the end. It must be something obvious then. Three years later I am still wondering if it was a good idea to give Aneko a key to my room. Looking around my room I spy the obvious stuff; my bed, table, TV, dresser- wait. I'm pretty sure my TV was taken after I broke it in a seizure. I twist round and look at Aneko, who is smiling, "Figured it out now? I was meant to bring it over a while ago but I was too busy with work." 

_I would hug you if I could._ "Th-Thank you Aneko." _Now I can watch all those boring programs to fall asleep too._ I look at the TV more closely and see it is very similar to my previous one. Aneko walks round to the front of me, and I move forwards and manage to give her a hug, a weakened one though. 

Aneko chuckles and says "Don't squeeze me too tight, I still need to tell our aunt and uncle you like it." So, they're the ones who bought it then. Sometimes I feel like they're too good to me. I give Aneko a look and she says "What? They're the ones who bought it, I just drove to them and brought it back as well as other reasons. This one comes with a remote so I won't have to push the button on the TV itself." Aneko smiles at me. _Way to rub that in._

I get an itching feeling on my arm so I start rubbing it. When I do, it starts hurting so I roll my sleeve up and look. I somehow have a bandage wrapped around it. I guess I hit it during my seizure then. "Akemi, are you alright?" Aneko asks me. 

"Yeah, I think I hit my arm earlier. Don't worry about it, it'll only become another bruise I have." 

I jump as I hear a knock at my door. By the time I face the door, Aneko is already at it, opening it. I watch as the door opens, and I see Yasuko there, with a pained smile on her face. _Oh no._

"How'd you know I was here, Yasuko?" I ask. 

Aneko answers by turning around and saying "I sent a message to her when we got here." 

"Yea-." A pained expression appears on Yasuko's face. _How bad did I hit her?!_ "I thought I'd come by and check on you." 

Yasuko walks to my bed and carefully sits on it, she normally doesn't do that carefully. She is joined by Aneko as I ask Yasuko "H-How bad are your ribs?" 

"They're okay, it's just a scratch." 

"Y-You winced. T-That's a lie." 

Yasuko looks squarely at me, no expression on her face. I know she isn't trying to, but it is intimidating. She then says "See, I'm not wincing." 

"Y-You were." 

Yasuko's sighs and says "Okay, so maybe I was." 

Aneko grabs my attention as she starts making a prodding motion towards Yasuko's ribs. I smile and Yasuko notices. She swats away Aneko's hand and immediately hisses and winces. She then says "I can't win." 

Smiling, Aneko asks "Shall we put in a DVD and test your TV? 

*** Ryuunosuke's PoV *** 

The annoying tone of my alarm wakes me up, and I manage to turn it off with one swoop of my arm. I sit up and rub my eyes, feeling the suture scar around my bad eye as I do so. As I look around my room, my good eye is drawn to the time on the alarm clock. Either I hit the snooze button or slept through its initial sounding. Either way I woke up 15 minutes later than normal. Getting out of bed, I go to my wardrobe to get out some clothes to use to get to and from the auxiliary building. As I grab a pair of underwear, I remember that is easier to go there wearing my swimming trunks and have the underwear in my bag to come back in. I finish getting changed and make sure I also have a towel in my bag. 

I look at my bed and see the messy state it is in. _Perhaps I should make it look neat, even if it's only me in here._ My eye then gets drawn to a rectangular looking object poking out between my desk and my bed. Reaching down for it, I grab it and pull it out. That is when I notice it is my diary. _How did it get down here? Did I knock it off at some point?_ I then remember that I haven't written in it for the past few days. This makes me open it to see exactly which day that was. I do so and confirm what I knew. I wonder how I forgot to write in it. Could it be because of starting this new school distracted me more than I thought? 

I look up at the time on my clock and see I have a few minutes until I need to leave for the pool, so I start to read my diary. As I read, I notice several tonal differences which I don't remember when writing these passages out. I soon reach the part around my accident and see an immediate drop in morale while writing. I also notice Hitomi appearing a lot more after, which - considering we live in the same house - should not be that surprising... except most of the passages are about her trying to make me emotionally better. I get to the part where a fellow student, Hiroto, was bullying me due to my eye, and then suddenly Hitomi appeared behind him and distracted him before hitting and knocking him to the floor. She very nearly broke her wrist because of that. I smile at that memory and remember that we went to the nurse's and we lied that Hitomi had tripped and fallen. 

Even excluding her helping with bullies, she knows how to cheer me up most of the time. I assume part of the reason she does that is to avoid me going down a dark path which I would have probably ended up on had she not been there. A path she knows of. I look away from my diary, my eyes fall on my clock, and my heart drops. I am running late. I snap my diary closed as I stand up. I drop it onto my bed, grab my bag and exit my room. 

*** Akemi's PoV *** 

I enter the pool room, and it is empty and silent. I look up at the clock on the wall and see that it is past the time Ryuunosuke normally gets here. I let out a small, dejected sigh, and a wave of fatigue hits my body. I am glad Kaiya attached the motorised part of my wheelchair. This fatigue occurs often after each seizure. Even opening the door to the building was difficult. I feel sorry for the other girl in my year who has epilepsy. I can't remember her name though. I think it was either Naomi or Natsume, I keep mixing the two up. 

I am curious if Ryuunosuke will turn up. When I entered, the lifeguard told me that she asked about me yesterday. My reaction caused her to smile, but that smile vanished when she mentioned Ryuunosuke swam right into a wall. 

I asked her if he was alright, and she said that all he damaged was his ego. She did mention that something was on his mind. She didn't mention what, but I have a feeling I know: me. Know, or hope; I'm not sure which I'd want. 

I look up at the time again and see he is now ten minutes late. I let out a bigger sigh than last time and decide I'll try to find him later. _I wonder what happened to the male lifeguard?_ I drive to the exit and reach out for the door but jolt back in surprise as the door is suddenly pulled away from me. Standing where it was is Ryuunosuke, trying to regain his breath. 

"Are you… Are you okay, Akemi?" he asks, still panting. 

"Y-Yeah. S-Shouldn't I b-be asking that?" 

Ryuunosuke smiles and says "Maybe. I'm glad you're doing better. I was worried as you didn't message back." 

_Message ba- oh! Oops._ "I-I only looked at my ph-phone this morning, and f-forgot to r-reply." 

I can feel myself getting warmer as my brain processes the fact that Ryuunosuke seems to care about me. 

"P-Perhaps you s-should get r-ready to s-swim," I manage to stammer out, while failing to get images out my head. 

"You're right, are you not changing too, Akemi?" he asks, seemingly forgetting what I've told him before. 

"I-I can't. My b-body's still t-too weak. I-I'll wait b-by the poolside." 

A concerned look now appears on Ryuunosuke's face. _Get rid of that look, your previous one makes you look better._

Ryuunosuke is about to enter the boys' changing room when he stops and faces me before saying "I hadn't noticed before, but you look good, tired as heck, but good." 

With that he smiles and disappears into the changing room. 

_Eeeek!_ I quickly wheel myself into the pool room to hide from anyone who'd enter the main corridor as I feel my face get really warm and probably very, very red. As my mind starts to calm down, I realise this is the first time Ryuunosuke has seen me in clothing other than school or swim outfit. 

Thankfully some time passes before Ryuunosuke returns. Seeing him I feel myself going slightly red. I watch him enter the pool and out of curiosity, I ask him "W-Why were y-you late to-today?" 

"I found my diary which I didn't know I had lost and lost track of time reading it." 

_Diary? How often do I pop up in it I wonder?_

"Say, Akemi, how difficult is it to swim with just your arms?" Ryuunosuke asks, shaking me out of my thoughts before they can lead me down the wrong path. 

"W-What did you say?" 

"How hard is it for you to swim with just your arms?" I scrunch my face a bit in thought as I haven't thought about the difficulty for years. 

_We've been swimming for around two weeks and you finally ask now?_ "I… c-can't remember. I believe i-it was difficult at f-first. I had always b-been stronger with my legs. I may have given up s-swimming if not for my dad's p-patience and persistence in reteaching me." _I wish you were still here to see how good I've become._

My thoughts of my dad vanish, and I see Ryuunosuke looking straight at me. I'm sure I can see some hint of concern on his face. _Did me lamenting about my dad show on my face?_

From the look on Ryuunosuke's face, some idea has come to him. "Is it alright for me to start swimming?" 

"Y-Yeah, sure," I reply. 

Ryuunosuke smiles and drifts a little way from the side of the pool. His positioning is different from normal. I don't think it's because of my different view either. As he moves away from the edge of the pool, there is something very different about his acceleration. He is using only his arms to propel himself _Wait, his arms?!_ I watch as he swims slowly along the length of the pool, his legs vertical instead of how mine are more horizontal. The wrap I use to keep my legs together having some air in it helps with that but not dangerously so. Ryuunosuke has no idea how to swim with just his arms. He hasn't adjusted his arm movements for the lack of leg power. If he really wants to learn this he'll need a lot of coaching to fix his positioning. But first I should find out why he isn't using his legs. 

After reaching the far side, I notice he cheats and uses his legs to push off the wall. Swimming back, I can get a good look at his face. He is being very inefficient. Even from here I can see he is breathing more than he should. This is actually the first time I've watched him swim while not being in the pool myself. I find that thought in itself, saddening. My eyes shift from Ryuunosuke's poor swimming attempt to the body of water in front of me. If I just take a dip, I'll be able to feel the flow of the water around me and help Ryuunosuke's positioning better. _Would it really be so bad to just take a dip?_ My mind flashes back to the last time I 'took a dip'. That is a memory I wish my epilepsy would permanently make me forget. I shake my head to rid myself of the thoughts. I look down at my outfit. The clothes I'm wearing are too nice to ruin with the pool's water. A pink skirt, with black leggings and a white shirt with a pink cardigan. I pay attention to Ryuunosuke again and see him just reaching the edge in front of me. He is breathing quite a lot. 

In between breaths, he asks "How do you make it look so easy?" 

It's a slight compliment, but I can't help but smile slightly anyway. "I-It is probably b-because I know h-how to swim with m-my arms." 

Ryuunosuke lets out a chuckle that ends up in a cough from the lack of air. "That would explain my difficulty." 

"W-why did you t-try swim like m-me?" I ask, curious. I do hate my nervousness showing up in my speech. 

"I wanted to see what it was like. It makes me appreciate your skill even more. Maybe you can teach me to do it better?" 

_So, he's been watching my movements?_ I can feel myself getting warmer. "I-I-I don't know I-If I can t-teach th-that." 

"I thought you were a good instructor. After all, you helped teach me to swim properly easily enough." 

_Good instructor? That title belongs to my dad, not me._ "I-It's easier to show than say. It was how my dad taught me. __

"Why not practise being an instructor?"

"I-I suppose I c-can try." I'm not much of one if I stutter like this though. 

"So, is there anything you want me to work on?" he asks. 

"Like w-what ?" 

"Well, I mean like what I tried, with swimming with just my arms," He says. 

_He really wants to learn to swim with just his arms? Why?_ "Y-You struggled because your b-body positioning is wrong." _Wow, Akemi, harsh._ Ryuunosuke doesn't seem to take in the harshness, thankfully. "B-Because you can swim with a-all four limbs, you rely on y-your legs to maintain your positioning, because I c-can't use mine, I have to rely on their n-natural buoyancy. That, and y-your legs are m-more muscular t-than mine, making them s-sink more." 

"That'll be from when I did my martial arts then," Ryuunosuke states. 

"L-Letting my legs float lets the water go past a lot easier than swimming into a wall of water." 

"So, I should try letting my legs float then?" 

"M-Maybe. A-At the worst, you'll remain upright due to your muscles, or be horizontal and sink." 

"Uh, if the worst were to happen, I'd prefer the first one," Ryuunosuke states making me _chuckle._

 _Ryuunosuke pushes himself away from the edge of the pool and then tries to make his body so it is horizontal. He does it face up which I am glad about. When Yasuko tried, she did it face down as it was easier but she had to stop to get air. I am surprised that Ryuunosuke is able to get himself to float on his first try. I do have a feeling if he tries to move he will go under though. While he's floating on the water, I find myself staring at his body. His legs are clearly defined meaning they will sink more than mine due to their density whereas his arms are defined, but not as much as mine. I hope he doesn't mind girls with stronger arms._

"This is actually quite nice," the subject of my mind says, breaking my mind's thoughts. "Shall I start swimming again Akemi?" 

Thinking for a second, I nod my head then I realise with him looking straight up to avoid water going into his eyes, he can't see me. "Y-Yes you-c-can." 

Ryuunosuke moves and for a second goes under water. He quickly resurfaces and wipes the water from his face as he wades to the edge. He smiles at me, making me feel warm, before starting his arms only swimming. He pulls away from the edge and manages to swim several laps. Each lap he does I can see he is starting to slow down as he is struggling to keep his mouth above the water. 

He finally reaches my side of the pool and stops. He then asks me "Do you think you could time me?" 

Time you? In your current state? "N-No. Y-You're out of breath a-and it w-wouldn't be fair o-on either of us." 

A confused look appears on his face. It's cute, but why is he sometimes dense? "I-If you use all four of y-your limbs, you will be faster t-than me. If you use just y-your arms, I'd beat y-you as I'm lighter and am more e-experienced." 

I add "A-Also, with you tired out, e-even I can swim faster than y-your fastest speed." 

He lets out a cute pout to that. He responds with "That isn't fair." 

I let out an involuntary giggle. "N-Neither was y-your suggestion. M-Maybe you should t-take a break s-so your muscles don't l-lock or get too tired in the middle o-of the pool." Ryuunosuke appears to think about my suggestion before heading it. I watch as he struggles slightly lifting himself out of the water before sitting on the edge of the pool. It would appear I made the right call. I wheel over to him and hand him the towel I have on my lap. 

Ryuunosuke looks up to me, takes the towel and smiles as he thanks me. As he uses the towel to dry his face I find my eyes wandering over his body. His arms are quite defined, not as much as mine are however. I hope Ryuunosuke doesn't mind that my arm muscles are better than his. I look at his chest and see he has the beginnings of a nice-looking six-pack. My eyes look over the rest of his body once and I have a sudden envious feeling, one which I've never felt regarding my condition before. 

Trying to ignore that feeling, I move my eyes from Ryuunosuke to the pool in front of us. I begin to feel wistful. I suddenly have to yawn reminding me that I have been awake since the early hours of this morning. My seizures, especially the bad ones tend to destroy my sleeping patterns as well as my body's energy. 

My thoughts are interrupted by Ryuunosuke asking "Say Akemi, how are you able to swim for so long with just your arms? Don't they get tired?" 

"T-They do, but I p-push through it. T-They don't get tired that often b-because they are used to t-the stress and strain of m-moving my whole body. I've had several y-years to build up the m-muscle in my arms and d-develop my technique." I raise my arms to show off my arms. 

Ryuunosuke smiles and says "They do look good." 

I can feel myself becoming very warm. I assume my face is red. I manage to stammer out "Th-Th-Thank y-you." 

"I think I'm rested enough. I'm even breathing normally now," Ryuunosuke says as he drops himself back into the pool. 

Once in, he turns around and faces me. "Should I swim normally or try again with just my arms?" 

There is no way he didn't notice my reaction, speech and face. Why is he acting like nothing happened? "Y-You should use all f-four limbs. Using just y-your arms will tire you out." 

I watch as Ryuunosuke pushes himself away from the wall using his feet and legs. I wish I could still do that. I remember the feeling of pushing off the wall and having the water rush past me while motionless. It was over in less than a second but was really nice. I watch his motions and feel a sense of pride that they are becoming more refined and less splashy making his movements more efficient. My feeling of pride stemming from me hoping it is my tutoring that is shaping him. _Heh, I am helping shape him. Wonder what reward I'll ge- No, get rid of thoughts, at least while I'm around people!_

I quickly change what my mind is thinking about and remember a few days ago Nurse asking me to keep tabs on Ryuunosuke. I know he has a network of spies so I wonder if this means I am now one. I look to where the life-guard has her window overlooking the pool room, and I see she is looking at the pool. After a few seconds she shifts her gaze to meet mine. I'm glad this one knows how to sign. I wonder how many of the staff are learning or have learned to sign. The life-guard waves, and I wave back. 

I signal that I am about to start signing, and she nods her head. I tell her how Ryuunosuke's progress is improving quite nicely. I look back to Ryuunosuke and see he is still swimming away. I look back to the life-guard and tell her that Ryuunosuke wants me to teach him how to swim using just his arms. She tells me that I should teach him, but only when I can start swimming again. She also says she'll relay it to Nurse. I thank her and turn around to continue watching Ryuunosuke. He has just reached the far end, and I watch him push off the far side to continue his full lap. My signing is rusty but it looks like she understood what I signed. I should practise my signing more. I think the last time I used it was the last time I spoke to Sute before she disappeared close to two years ago. Sute was a 2nd year who showed me and Yasuko around Yamaku when we first started. I still have no idea what happened to her. 

As Ryuunosuke draws nearer, I notice he is breathing quite a bit. "Y-You need to breathe while swimming, R-Ryuunosuke." 

Ryuunosuke reaches my side of the pool and stops before replying "I know, it's difficult when you don't want water to go into your lungs." I know what that is like. I experienced it and it is scary. 

"I-If you keep practising swimming and b-breathing at the same time it will make you swim for longer between breaks. Y-Your muscles work a lot better when they h-have oxygen," I explain. 

"I think I learned that in biology, Akemi." From the sound of his voice, he knows I'm teasing him. _I wonder if that's all they taught him in- No Akemi!_

"You aren't trying to get me to breathe underwater are you Akemi?" Ryuunosuke asks. _What is with my mind this morning?_

"O-Only if you're a merman," I joke. 

Ryuunosuke smiles and says "Maybe I was but lost my trident, and it turns out that holds my swimming capabilities." 

I let out a giggle. "So, you are secretly Poseidon?" 

Ryuunosuke leans his head either way and replies "Possibly, although with this eye, more likely Odin." 

Wrong mythology, Ryuunosuke. If he were to be Poseidon, could I become his wife? What was her name again? Aphrodite? No, Amphitrite I think. No, I'm thinking way too far ahead. I don't even know if Ryuunosuke likes me that way. Friends definitely, but more? I do not know. I'll be able to find out during the festival. 

"I think I'll do some more laps Akemi. We do have time, right?" Ryuunosuke asks me. 

I look at my watch and see he does have time. "Y-You have plenty of time. I-I'll spot anything amiss and t-tell you how to correct it." 

"That'll be a lot of talking then." 

I can't help but giggle at his self-deprecation. "Y-you're not that b-bad. Y-Yasuko is worse." 

Ryuunosuke then sets off, like last time, pushing off of the wall. I silently watch him swim across the pool. I wonder what I would look like if wore a mermaid costume, maybe not the seashell-bra, but the legs and fin I would. I could do that for Hallowe'en. If I were to wear a mermaid outfit, I wouldn't run into the usual problems people would have, such as not being able to walk properly. I could be a true mermaid and have to use my current wheelchair. Maybe I should go for more of a siren outfit, seeing as I have a singing voice which seems to have brought Ryuunosuke to me. I wonder if Ryuunosuke knows who Amphitrite is and her relation to Poseidon. 

The next half hour is filled with me watching Ryuunosuke swim and offering him tips to improve his swimming technique. He still occasionally forgets to breathe during his laps resulting in him requiring multiple breaks to regain his breath. I look at my watch and see it is time to stop. I wheel over, so I will be in front of Ryuunosuke as he reaches my side of the pool to get his attention. It works when he reaches me. 

"What's up Akemi?" Ryuunosuke asks. 

"I-It's time to finish, unless y-you want to be late for c-class." I tell him. 

"I've done that enough already. Thanks," he says as he climbs out the pool. He shakes his head a bit splashing the water everywhere, including on me much to my chagrin. I let out an annoyed sound as I pass him the towel. 

"B-by the way Ryuunosuke, I w-won't be waiting for you outside the changing r-room. I n-need to speak to Nurse," I say. 

Ryuunosuke finishes wiping his face and asks "Is everything okay?" 

"My s-seizures often damage m-my sleeping p-pattern w-which is why I'm very t-tired now. Kind of like jet-lag. H-Have you ever b-been on a plane?" 

"Yeah, not for several years though." 

"I have a f-few times. T-Then you know w-what it's l-like. It's the s-same feeling, but not c-caused by time-zones. I w-want to see if Nurse w-will let me s-skip t-today's lessons." 

"Why not just skip the swimming then? You would have gotten some sleep." 

"T-That would lead to a b-bad habit, Ryuunosuke. Plus, I can't let you s-swim by yourself and i-into a wall again. Only s-seizures themselves c-can stop me from coming h-here. Also, I like being w-with y-you." _I-I just said that?!_ I can feel myself blushing. 

"I didn't mean to swim into the wall," Ryuunosuke mumbles. 

*** Ryuunosuke's PoV *** 

Running late seems to be my theme for the day, I blame my diary for that. First running late for swimming - which Akemi seemed to be concerned about until I managed to calm her - and now I am running a few minutes late for my homeroom. I am concerned that she is missing the day of school though. The bell chimed a couple of minutes ago, and I am just now entering the classroom. As I enter, Miyagi looks straight at me, and I suddenly feel fearful. 

"Glad you could join us, Shibanuma. Would you care to talk outside?" 

I knew looking back on more of the diary once I got back from swimming was going to be a bad idea. 

"Shimohira, could you take the room while I talk to Shibanuma, please?" Miyagi asks. 

Shimohira says he will, and as Miyagi leads me out the classroom, I hear him tell the class "Now the teacher's gone, time for a nap." 

Miyagi sighs but doesn't do anything else. She opens her mouth ready to speak, and I brace myself. "So, Ryuunosuke, aside from your swimcapades, how are you coping with being in a new school?" 

"I'm sor- what?" I reply, caught off guard. 

Miyagi laughs softly before replying "You thought I was going to be angry at you being a few minutes late for homeroom? You haven't forgotten what type of school you are at, have you? No, the reason I called you out was to ask how you are coping, the lateness just provided a good reason. So Ryuunosuke, I repeat my question, how are you coping?" 

I think for a moment before replying to her question "Well, I'm still getting used to the school and living away from my house. My friend's mother used to wake me, and if she failed my friend would make sure I would be awake in time, sometimes painfully. But apart from that I feel I am doing well." 

"Also, aside from the bizarreness of the whole place and the usual soul crushing post-accident depression, am I correct? Sorry, more students than I like to admit go through a phase such as that, including myself." 

I raise my eyebrows slightly and blink a few times as I wasn't expecting her to say anything like that. "I never really got any kind of depression. Probably due to family and Hitomi being around." 

Miyagi smiles, seemingly satisfied with my answer. She asks "Ready to go in now?" 

I nod my head, and Miyagi opens the door and allows me to enter first, to see all eyes on me... Well the ones that can see that is. I take my seat back between Lilly and Masahiro. Masahiro leans towards me and asks what Miyagi said, including what I'm sure is some film quote. He chuckles and then says "Don't worry, give it a few weeks and you'll be able to regularly be late, like that Ikezawa girl in 3-3." 

"Hush now!" a sharp voice whispers out from our side. I look and see Lilly looking towards us with those cloudy eyes. 

"Feisty." Masahiro replies. I feel myself fighting to keep my lips from smiling. A battle I am losing. It feels wrong that Lilly can't see what's happening to me. Masahiro then whispers to me "I like feisty girls." 

"You'd like Hitomi then." I say, thinking of my pink-purple haired best friend. 

Masahiro chuckles, "Great name, but I have no idea who that is." 

"She's from my hometown. I have a picture of her on my phone." Paying attention to Miyagi, I see she is distracted in talking to Shimohira, allowing me to pull my phone out and search for the photo of Hitomi. Once found, I show it to Masahiro. 

He looks at the photo for a few seconds, and I start to wonder what he's doing. I suddenly wonder if wearing his glasses makes it harder to see screens such as my phone. I also wonder if taking them off would help him see. 

"She's pretty," I hear Masahiro say, bringing me out of my thoughts. 

I smile at his praise of her, "Yeah, I do have another but that is only to use if she annoys me too much." _Which, hasn't happened in the past couple of years._

"Would you mind putting your phone away and paying attention the both of you." We start at the sound of Miyagi's voice. 

The school bells ring out for the end of the day. Today was not the best day, even if I just count my tardiness; late for swimming, late for homeroom. Don't bad things come in threes? I start to stand but Masahiro puts his arm out signalling for me to wait. _Is this the third thing?_

"Do you want something Masahiro?" I ask. 

"Want some advice? Let the other classes dissipate first to avoid the rush and crush of the other students in the corridor." 

Slightly odd advice, although thinking back to my old school at lunch and at the end of the day, the corridors were always busy, sometimes suffocatingly so. I then ask Masahiro "How long should we wait for then?" 

"I normally wait about five minutes," he replies. 

I nod my head in acknowledgement unsure if he can see it. "What about lunch? Surely the best food will be gone by then?" 

Masahiro smiles and says "So you like that food, huh? There are too many dietary requirements for others for me to get what I like. I normally eat with my sister. She's a surprisingly good cook. Probably a good thing as she's the only one without vision issues in my house." 

"So, you don't live on your own?" I ask, my curiosity taking over. 

"Masahiro smiles and shakes his head and says "No, Wakana and I live with our grandmother, Keiko Pavlov." _'Pavlov? Isn't that a Russian last name or something?'_ If I recall, they had a house or something. Masahiro notices my confused look upon hearing her name, "She married my Russian grandfather after the war." 

Thinking for a second to figure something out, I respond with "So that would mean you are a quarter Russian?" 

"Da." He says in a tone that makes it sound like he's agreeing. "You should come to my house one day; my grandmother loves to meet new people. She is really friendly, unlike my mother." I hear a hint of disdain when he mentions his mother. 

I don't want to start poking bears, so I just respond with "I may one day." 

Masahiro's attention suddenly deviates to the other side of me as he says "See you later, Lilly." _She's still here? I hadn't noticed until now._ I say my goodbyes to Lilly as she walks away, presumably to either the library or the tea room. Thinking of that reminds me that I should make another appearance at some point. 

"Masahiro, how old is your sister?" I ask. 

My question draws his attention away from the door Lilly exited through, and he locks eyes with me. He then says "She's a seventeen-year-old second year. She has medium length jet black hair and golden yellow eyes, like our dad, except his is short. And no, you cannot date her, Ryuunosuke." 

Although that last part surprised me, I chuckle as I say "I wasn't planning to anyway." 

"Good." Masahiro then gets his phone out and looks at it before saying "Outside should be clear enough now." 

I stand up from my desk and put my bag on my back as Masahiro says "I'll see you in class tomorrow." 

"Yea, see you." 

I exit the classroom and immediately notice how much emptier the corridor is. There are still students about, but not as many. As I fully step into the corridor, I hear a male voice shout out "Move!" I look up one way of the corridor but don't see anything abnormal, so I look the other way and see an unfamiliar student running. It looks like he is on a collision course with me so I try to step out of the way, but he seems to have the same idea and he ends up colliding with me. 

He yelps as he collides with me. I feel my arm hit the wall and judging by the pain, my head also makes contact making my vision blur for a second. I hear the person say an abrupt apology as they get back up and start running again. Ignoring the pain, I want to know why he is still running. I soon get my answer when I hear a female run past shouting "Come back here, Summer Demon!" 

As I watch the girl, who I assume has eighth-grade syndrome, I hear Masahiro's voice on my left ask me if I'm all right. I look at him and see he has his hand out for me to grab. I grab it, and he helps to pull me up. As I stand, I feel the blood move from my head, notifying me of where I hit it. "Ow, that hurt," I mumble out. "Avoiding the rush, huh? 

"You'll be fine. You should have a hard-enough head as it is." Another female voice calls out, I instinctively brace myself before recognising the voice as belonging to Kaiya. I look in her direction and confirm. She has a look of concern on her face as she walks towards me. 

As she reaches me, she states "Shinobu should really look where he is going. I'll talk to him later." 

"How do you know him and why are you up here?" 

Kaiya gives me an immediate reply, "Shinobu is in my class. I'm waiting for Akemi and Yasuko. Want to wait with me?" 

I smile. "You would be waiting a while. She isn't in class today." 

Kaiya's face drops "What?" 

*** Akemi's PoV *** 

Sitting on my bed, Yasuko is partway through plaiting my hair. She gets to about halfway down the length before we hear a knock at my door. Yasuko stops plaiting and tells me to hold it so the thre- no, four? lines don't start untwirling themselves. Yasuko then gets off of my bed and goes to the door. She opens it and reveals Kaiya on the other side, carrying some small bag. Kaiya walks in with an indignant expression, and the first thing she says is "You could have told me you wouldn't go to class today." 

_'What? Oh, I'm glad it wasn't something worse._ I see Yasuko close the door and head back towards me. "How are you, Kaiya?" I ask. 

Kaiya's indignant expression changes to a solemn one as she replies "I'm not going to make it." 

I feel my face and hands drop, and Yasuko cries out my name as I drop the plate. Kaiya starts laughing and then says "Not really. I only need to take these. Took a detour to the nurses before I came here due to being left in the cold." She indicates to the bag she's carrying while staring right at me. 

I let out a sigh of relief, trading my worry for anger. "I hate you. I-I'm already worried about one of my friends." 

Kaiya smiles and says in a sing-song tone "No, you don't. And you worry about every one of your friends." _'True, but not all of my friends will be having an appointment to discuss the effectiveness of their chemo._

"I do hate you." I say, looking straight at Kaiya. 

My head is lightly but forcefully pulled a bit by Yasuko as she asks Kaiya "So you are okay then?" 

Kaiya puts her medicine bag on the seat of my wheelchair before sitting on the floor and replying "Yep, well as good as someone with scarred lung tissue who needs a nasal cannula can be. I have enough here to last me a whole month unless I become a dealer. I decided to get them from nurse now rather than later which I think was a wrong choice. He is quite cranky today." 

My anger forgotten, Yasuko and I, in unison, ask "Why is he cranky? He wasn't this m-morning." 

"I think it's because of a prank gone wrong in my homeroom this morning. Two people suffered allergic reactions. Shizune wasn't happy when she came to me. She blamed me for it even though I had no idea of it." 

_'Why would Shi- Oh yeah, Kaiya's her class' rep.'_

The conversation dies there while Yasuko repairs and continues her plaiting. The silence continues until Kaiya looks at both of us and suddenly says "We're the Bad Trio." 

I look at her with a confused expression and she explains by pointing at me and saying "bad legs," then pointing at Yasuko, "bad neck," and then herself, "bad lungs." 

I think about it for a few seconds before saying "We'd need a better name t-than that." 

"Done." Yasuko says, still behind me. 

"That name won't fit either," I say. 

"I meant your plait." 

"Oh. Th-thanks Yasuko," I respond, embarrassed. I run my hand over Yasuko's handiwork and smile. "It feels nice." I turn my head to face Yasuko, who is getting off the bed. 

There is a question I want to ask these two, but I'm worried of the teasing they'll give me. I know it won't be done to hurt me, but I still won't like it. 

"Akemi, you alright?" I hear Yasuko ask. _'I guess it's now or never.'_

I internally sigh and ask "W-What do y-you both think of Ryuunosuke?" 

I notice Kaiya's eyes flicker to Yasuko for a brief second. Yasuko looks from me to Kaiya, back to me then back to Kaiya again. 

Kaiya starts speaking. "From what I know of his family, Ryuunosuke seems to have a good heritage. As for him, he seems to have some issues, more than his eye, but I'd trust him. Yasuko?" 

"He seems good. Anyway, if he does something bad, I'll kick his butt." _Tamer than what Aneko said you'd do._ "I'm not sure if I would trust him yet or not. I just need to find out more about him." Finding out stuff about people is one thing she's good at. She been able to find out stuff about people without even trying. It is scary sometimes, almost stalker-ish. 

"Why are you asking?" Kaiya asks me with a badly acted innocent look on her face. _She already knows the answer._

I mumble out "I may h-have fallen for h-him." 

Kaiya and Yasuko look at each other in sync. "W-What's w-wrong?" 

"Nothing." Kaiya replies a bit too quickly for my taste. 

Yasuko follows Kaiya with her reply. "You finally admit it. Kaiya was thinking of us locking you in the track shed with him to get you to admit that." My eyes widen. "Ti ci è voluto un po 'per ammetterlo." 

"D-Don't tell anyone." I plea, my voice faltering. _'Why am I a wimp at times like this?'_ Yasuko just smiles at my plea. I wonder what she said. Yes, I know Italian, but I learned three other languages prior so it is my weakest. I know she was on about me though. I just hope it was nothing bad. 

"Speaking of your boy toy, he got sideswiped by a guy from my class earlier," Kaiya says. 

He got injured? "Is he okay?" I ask. 

Kaiya chuckles and says "True love." _'I. Hate. You.'_ I hear Yasuko grunt in agreement. _'I hate the both of you.'_ I try to elbow Yasuko but find only air. I would try to hit Kaiya, but she's out of reach. 

Seemingly knowing this, Kaiya smiles at me and then says "He should be fine. His head may have stopped hurting by now. A guy named Shinobu ran into him while trying to run away from some first year chuunibyou." 


End file.
